A Special Place in My Heart
by coolkid88100
Summary: He freed her from the clutches of her father. Now, they will both continue their journey together. Where the journey takes them, only time will tell. However doing it together, makes it that much more fun. Read as the journey unfolds for both Soma and Erina in a way that they would never have imagined.
1. Prologue

They did it.

They actually did it.

What was supposed to be a clean sweep for Central turned into a bitter defeat. Cheers rang through the area as the Rebels celebrated their victory. Everyone's favorite red-headed chef had his arms crossed, with his usual grin on his face. The headband he wore was drenched with sweat as he removed it and looked on to a very shocked and defeated Elite Ten first seat.

Eishi was on his hands and knees, shocked that he had actually been defeated. This was not a possibility that the first seat had even thought of. His cooking had never been matched before, even against first-rate chefs. Yet, this diner cook of all people, to be the one who defeats him.

Not only was Eishi shocked, but every Elite Ten member that had cooked before him. Though each of them had lost, there was never a doubt in their mind that Eishi would win and end this rebellion once and for all.

The most shocked one of all though was the man that started this entire thing, Nakiri Azami. His plan was foolproof. He had the backing of the Elite Ten, the most talented and unbeatable chefs in the school, and yet he still lost. As he locked eyes with the redhead, it seemed as though Soma's golden eyes were piercing right through him. Azami however, remained calm in his appearance. Though he suffered a crushing defeat, he still had one more hand to play. A small smile crept upon the man's face as he turned his gaze to the young woman standing off to the side. He meets the eyes of his daughter, and as if a spell had been cast, she immediately started to move towards her father.

Soma was almost frozen in time as someone he saw as a friend, who had helped out not only him but all of the Rebels was moving slowly to the very person they were trying to defeat.

"Erina!" he screamed, trying to get the blonde's attention, but the grip that her father had on her was too strong to break. When she reached her father, he put his hand on her shoulder and whispered something into her ear and it was as though the Erina that Soma knew was gone, and had turned into nothing more than a pawn. She turned into putty in her father's hands. There was nothing anyone, not Soma, not Senzaemon and not even Joichirou could do to help her.

"Well Yukihira, I must say, you have definitely put a major hole into my plans. However, though you may have beaten the first seat, you will now face the ultimate test." Azami said and at the snap of his fingers, Erina moved towards the cooking area. "You see, though I have been away for a while, everything that I've taught my daughter still remains. She will show you the true meaning of high-class cooking," he grinned as he looked towards his daughter. "Remember Erina, food that is inferior need to be discarded and trashed. Please demonstrate to Mr. Yukihira how much of an inferior cook he really is," he finished as Erina started to prep the station Eishi had been using. She pushed all of Eishi's cooking equipment off the cooking stations. All of it fell to the ground with a loud crash. Some of Eishi's leftover cooking had also fallen, and though it was a magnificent piece of fish that he had prepared, Erina seemed to deem it trash.

Soma on the other, took his headband that he was clutching in his hand and put it back on. Though it was still sweaty from his most recent battle, it was something that he would wear no matter what the circumstances when cooking. As he looked at Erina, who was preparing her ingredients and her equipment, Soma thought back to the times he and Erina shared alone. Their personal talks that they had. All of it. As he set up his station, he would always gaze over at the blonde girl he called his friend. Though she was not the same person, he knew that deep down, there was still that same old Nakiri that he knew. As both of them stood ready by their stations, Soma said one last thing, hoping he would somehow reach Erina and snap her out of this spell.

"I just want you to remember Erina, what you told me earlier. We're going to become second years together. I still intend on doing that. If that means beating you here and now, so be it." Erina gave no response to this and Azami just chuckled at that thought. He would rid Soma Yukihira once and for all and create his own culinary empire. The battle for the future of cooking began.

"We're going to become second years together."

We're going to become second years together."

"We're going to become second years together."

"We're going to become second years together." was repeated in Erina's mind as she cooked. Though she didn't have control, there was a small feeling inside, deep down that said "Yes, Soma-kun. We're going to become second years together."

Both of them finished their cooking and presented it to the judges.

And then….

She woke up.

Sweating profusely and disillusioned of her whereabouts. Her hair was all messed up and her bed was warm. She put her face in her hands, scared and tired of the memories. She wiped the tears away and tried to slow down her breathing. She had dreamt of that day again. A day where she nearly lost it all. A day where she let herself be controlled and nearly lost herself. A day where she became something she didn't want to become. Erina found some water next to her bed and gulped two glasses of it down.

Next to the water pitcher were some photos.

Photos of her idol Joichirou and another of everyone from the Polar Star Dorm.

The next photo was of the Rebels after their victory. As she scanned the photo, her eyes locked onto the boy that freed her from her father.

No.

He was not a boy anymore. During that period in Hokkaido, he became a man.

A man that saved her.

A man that forever changed her life.

A man that now holds a special place in her heart.

 **Hope you guys read and enjoy the prologue of the story. I intend to make this a longer story, though I'm not completely sure how long. I have a lot of ideas and yes this is a future story since the manga is still in the Central Arc. If you guys have any ideas or fun things I should include, feel free to review and let me know. Reviews are always welcome, good or bad, and I appreciate the feedback.**


	2. Late Nights in the Kitchen

_Erina's Room_

Her eyes remained open as she returned to lay down in her bed. All she could do was stare at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. She hadn't had a good nights rest in weeks. The nightmares had haunted her ever since they returned from Hokkaido. No one really could figure it out, but she was no longer the same Nakiri Erina from before. In fact, she was traumatized by the incident, though she did a good job of hiding it from everyone else. She then sat up and sighed. The moon was shining brightly in her room as she got up from her bed. She looked at her clock, 3 a.m. it read. Erina huffed and sighed again and decided to try and distract herself.

She was going to go to the bathroom when a sizzling sound could be heard from the kitchen. Erina had was wondering what someone was doing up so late/early. The floor was quiet and she decided to check on who that was in the kitchen. As she went down the stairs, a familiar aroma hit her nose and her senses went out of control.

 _Polar Star Kitchen_

It smelled so good. She could identify bonito stock and chicken wings just from the smell. It all smelled so familiar, yet, she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. She crept down the steps, trying to make as little noise as possible. As she reached the door of the kitchen, there he stood. His red hair was as spiky as ever. He didn't have his headband on this time as it was still wrapped around his wrist. Erina then noticed the rows of dishes that were partly eaten lined up on the large countertop in the kitchen. She deduced that he must've been up for some time since all of the food took considerable work to make. She just stood there, watching as he adjusted the heat and was chopping onions and ginger to add to the broth. He finally turned around and met the gaze of Erina's and he jumped back a little, surprised at the blonde's watching.

"Oi, Nakiri! You scared me. How long have you been there?" he asked, composing himself and taking a container to the refrigerator.

"Oh Soma-kun, I uhh, just got here actually," she lied, not wanting Soma to know she had been watching him closely for a good five minutes.

"You could've said something you know," he snickered. "So why are you up so late Nakiri? Couldn't sleep?" he asked calmly as he returned to his work.

"No, I was just going to the bathroom when I heard you making plenty of noise down here in the kitchen," she replied, a little irritated at the redhead.

"Oh really? Sorry about that. Didn't realize the sizzling and boiling would be that loud," he responded, still with his back turned to her and focusing on his food.

There was a small moment of silence between the two, as Soma continued to cook and Erina continued to watch.

"Can I help you with something Nakiri?" Soma asked, finally turning around to address her.

"No of course not! I was just wondering, what you're doing up so late?" she asked as Soma let out a small chuckle.

"Eh, couldn't really sleep so I decided I try and do some experimenting," he answered as he pointed to all the dishes lined up.

"I see that. Why couldn't you sleep?" she asked.

"Oh? Is the God Tongue oh so concerned about her fellow classmate?" Soma quipped back sarcastically, causing the blonde's cheeks to redden as she huffed and looked away.

"No! I thought it'd be polite to ask is all," she responded as she folded her arms and continued looking away from Soma.

"Haha I know, I'm teasing. But honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I told you anyways," Soma responded which confused Erina a bit.

"What did he mean by I wouldn't believe him if he told me," she thought to herself. She brushed it off and decided to take a seat. "Well what are you making Soma-kun?" she asked.

"Wow, aren't we full of questions tonight Nakiri? Plus you can't tell from all the ingredients I had prepared already?" was his response as this only made Erina more flustered and irritated at the redhead. Before she could retort back, Soma spoke up. "Kidding again. My answer remains the same though. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Why don't you just wait and you'll see what I'm cooking," Soma said as Erina just folded her arms and remained silent as she watched the young man cook.

A few minutes later, a piping hot bowl of rice sat in front of her. This felt all too familiar for her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Eventually, she got her answer. Soma turned around with a container full of piping hot eggs. His usual grin on his face as he walked towards where Erina sat. It was as if history was repeating itself as he dropped the golden eggs and gelatin contents on the bowl of rice. The gelatin started to melt all over the eggs and the rice just like it did the first time they met. Erina couldn't help but watch in awe of all of this happening again. It was as if everything was moving in slow motion. The smell was incredible, just like the first time and it sent shivers down Erina's spine.

"Here is the Transforming Furikake Gohan Version 2! Please, dig in," he told her as Erina picked up her fork and did just that.

The first bite had brought her to a state of euphoria. History really was repeating itself as Erina was trapped inside the flavor of the fluffy eggs. It seemed way more in-depth this time and the flavors were bursting all around her taste buds. She went for another bite as Soma looked on in satisfaction.

"Well, at least you seem to be enjoying it now," Soma joked as Erina snapped out of her euphoria. She had lost herself in that one bite and completely forgot she was eating in front of him.

"Hmph" was her only response as she took another bite.

Soma had made himself a bowl as well and he ate alongside her. The two sat in silence as they ate. Eventually, Erina was the first to get up.

"Thank you for the meal Soma-kun, but it's best if I get back to bed now," she said as she walked towards the exit.

"Oi, Wait, Nakiri. So how was it this time? Still "disgusting"? Soma asked with air quotes. Erina thought about a good reply. She wasn't about to give in to him.

"It was adequate this time. I see you made some adjustments to the broth and the spices used for the chicken. It had a much more kick to it this time. You also added saffron to the aspic which enriched it's flavor a lot more. Other than that, the dish was basically still the same. Still not sure you would pass my taste test again. Goodnight Soma-kun," she replied as she exited the kitchen.

Soma just sat there and chuckled a bit to himself.

"If it was so adequate, then why did you finish the whole thing, Nakiri?" he asked himself as he looked over at the empty bowl she had left. Not a single grain of rice had been spared and it was as though she washed the bowl herself.

"She really is something else," he thought as he took all the dishes and started to wash up.

As Soma was washing dishes, his thoughts brought him back to earlier. He woke up at around midnight. Sweat dripped from his forehead. His clothes were soaked. He too was having nightmares, almost identical to the ones Erina had. Except in his, he couldn't save her from her father. The grip he had on Erina was too tight for Soma to break. He almost lost her forever when he finally woke up. He realized that it was just a dream. He remembered the day vividly. He was able to break the spell that Azami had over Erina. His cooking had prevailed and he was able to save his friend from losing herself.

Soma couldn't help but feel something in his chest as he thought about Erina. Cooking for her had made his heart race faster than it ever had before. Seeing her enjoy his cooking had given him such happiness that he couldn't explain. Then, of course, she would never even dare to acknowledge him. They came from two different backgrounds and obviously had two different approaches to cooking. Yet for some reason, he couldn't shake this feeling he was having for her. "Maybe it's just from the lack of sleep," he thought as he went back to washing his dishes.

Meanwhile…

 _Erina's Room_

Back in her room now, Erina fell face-first into her bed. She was so frustrated. That man that saved her lived two doors down from her and yet she felt so far away. She knew that these feelings she had for him were true and pure. No one would ever be able to replace them. Unfortunately, he was from a lower-class establishment. He was a diner cook. Even though his father was the former second seat at Totsuki, he never graduated.

She was the God Tongue. She had a reputation to uphold, for herself and her family. Plus, she didn't know if he felt the same feelings towards her. She never felt so strongly about anyone like this before. Even her admiration for her idol, could not match the feelings she felt for his son. Erina was in a dilemma that she hadn't experienced before. She rolled over on to her back and pulled the covers over her.

"If it's meant to be," she thought to herself. As she closed her eyes, images of Soma appeared before her. An image of him standing beside her, holding her hand brought a smile to her face as she finally fell asleep. It would be the first time since that day that she had such a peaceful slumber.

 _The Next Day_

Totsuki Academy had to experience a bit of a facelift due to the Azami coup that had just occurred. Many outside of the school had heard of the events and were concerned about continuing their relationship with Totsuki. This put some pressure on Senzaemon, who returned to the position of Director of the school, to take some immediate action.

The first thing on his agenda was to banish Azami yet again for his actions against not only the school and Senzaemon, but also to Erina. Criminal charges were filed and restraining orders were put in place on him. Azami was forbidden from ever stepping on the school grounds, interacting with the current and potential students and more importantly, banned from ever seeing his daughter again. In addition to this, any offspring or relatives that Azami may have were also barred from having any business with the school.

Secondly, the Elite Ten Council was temporarily disbanded for the rest of the school year. Due to the coup, Senzaemon realized that the council had way too much power in the school. He had come to find out that they had been abusing their powers over the course of the year. Though the council had a lot of responsibilities within the school, Senzaemon would take it upon himself to see that the funds that were being used by the council would be put to good use. Of course, once the next school year started, a new Elite Ten Election would be held to make a new council.

Third, the former Elite Ten members that had voted to remove Senzaemon from his position as director were allowed to remain at Totsuki. This was a very reluctant decision made by Senzaemon, but he felt that all of them had learned a very important lesson by their defeat at the Rebels. Of course, not all of them stayed. Shiratsu Julio and Eizan Etsuya both decided to leave the academy. All of the third-years that were on the council stayed. Especially since they had only a short time to go before they graduated. However, many of them, except for Rindou, decided to keep a lower profile.

Lastly and arguably the hardest part of this entire thing, was recovery. Many students had been expelled during the reign of Central. Many of them were allowed to come back and were welcomed with open arms. Others decided to never step foot onto the Totsuki grounds ever again. Classes continued again and things started to return to normal. The lecturers were able to teach the classes that they specialized in and the students were happy to be back to the way things were.

Soma, of course, was seen as a hero to the other students, who had heard about the events in Hokkaido. The stories of how he was able to defeat many of the (now former) Elite Ten members. Of course, what many of the students didn't know was that final battle that took place. It was something only four people knew about and for now, it was to stay that way.

Soma had been called into the director's office this morning and had finally reached his destination. He wondered what the old man wanted, considering things were returning back to normal.

 _Directors Office_

As Soma entered the large office, Senzaemon had already been speaking to someone sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. As Soma got closer, he noticed his father, who turned around and gave him this goofy look.

"Sup pops, gramps," he said as he took a seat next to his father. This caused a fit of laughter from the elder Nakiri. "Like Father, like son I suppose," Senzaemon said as he leaned back in his seat.

"So what's the occasion here Gramps?" Soma asked, not understanding why he had to be here.

"Well Soma, to be frank with you, it is about Erina." Soma looked at him, a little off guard by the older man's answer. "Has she said anything to you about that day?" Senzaemon asked as Soma shook his head and was trying to figure out what the point of this meeting was.

"Hmmm, I'm very concerned about her. She has not attended any of her classes and she has missed some tasting appointments that she usually doesn't miss. I am beginning to wonder if she will be the same after all of this. Erina has experienced things that no human being should go through," the elder Nakiri spoke.

"She has been scarred heavily from her father and I can tell that she has not returned to her normal self. That is why you are here Soma, I need you to help her. I know I've already asked you to save her once, but I need to ask you to save her again. I want my granddaughter to realize that there is more to life than just food and cooking," Senzaemon said as he pleaded to a shocked Soma.

Soma really didn't expect this. A second plea for help from the Director? Why was he being that one that was chosen? Soma turned to his father, who was observing him. Eventually, Soma turned back to the director and flashed his wide grin.

"Don't worry gramps, I'll make sure she returns as the Erina we all know. Besides, she still needs to tell me my food is delicious," Soma said as he got up from his chair and excused himself out of the room.

Joichirou turned to the director who had a very serious look on his face. "You do realize that this isn't going to be an easy task. That boy is as dense as a brick. I should know, I raised him," Joichirou said, raising some concerns to the director. Senzaemon broke from his serious look and laughed at Joichirou's remark. "Yes, I do realize this won't be easy. But he is the only one capable of accomplishing this. He's made the impossible, possible so far. Besides, I believe my granddaughter has truly fallen for your son, Joichirou," the Nakiri replied and caused laughter from the elder Yukihira now. "Oh yeah? And what makes you say that?" Joichirou asked still laughing at the thought.

"In time, you will see."

 **A/N Another chapter done. I'm really sorry if some of you find the beginning of my story a bit slow. I intend on doing that because immediately putting them together is boring and has been done before. So it'll be a little slow for the first few chapters or so but I promise it'll pick up eventually. Again, please review and let me know what you think.**


	3. Late Nights in the Kitchen 2

_Later That Day_

Soma had finished up his classes and was making the long trek back to Polar Star. Megumi was accompanying him since they had many classes together. Though the normal Soma would be talking and be very animated, today was much different. Soma had been quiet ever since he returned from the Director's office. It was as though something happened, and Megumi couldn't figure it out. She asked him multiple times throughout the day if he was alright, but Soma just brushed it off and said everything was fine. Of course, being the worrier that she is, Megumi knew everything was not fine. She could tell because Soma had been distracted in every class they were in together. Chapelle-sensei scolded Soma many times during the class period and the pair barely finished their duck confit. To make matters worse, they only received a B rating from Chapelle-sensei. Normally, they would receive an A rated dish and Chapelle-sensei would be smiling from ear to ear. Today was definitely not normal, and there was definitely something wrong with Soma.

Soma on the other hand, was very much fine, just distracted. He was thinking about Senzaemon's request all day. Though the Director had asked him to save Erina already, doing it twice was something he found odd. Especially when Senzaemon mentioned that he wanted Erina to know that there was more to life than just cooking. Though he was very much determined to save Erina a second time, he had to ask himself why he was chosen. If anything, it should be his dad that should be doing the saving since he is her idol and was a much better people person. Of course, when Soma sets his mind to do something, he will do it.

As he and Megumi walked back, he remained in his thoughts. The feelings that he was having for Erina were something different from before. During that final battle with her, he had cooked like he never cooked before. The passion and effort that he put into his food that day was something he had not experienced before nor could he explain it. It was as though he was cooking for her and not for himself, like usual. He remembered last night when he cooked for her, he almost had the same feeling. Soma was disrupted from his thoughts when a loud "Hey" was heard close by.

Both Soma and Megumi turned around to see Hisako sprinting to catch up to them. As the pink-haired girl reached them, she bent over, hands on her knees, panting for air from all that running.

"Hisako-san, are you alright?" Megumi asked to the out of breath girl. Hisako finally regained her breath and stood up to face the two.

"Yes….I'm fine now Tadokoro-san. I saw you two walking and wanted to walk with you since you're heading back to Polar Star right?" Hisako said as some sweat dripped down from her forehead.

"Oh yes we are. You going to see Erina-san?" Megumi asked which was answered with a nod from the assistant to the God Tongue.

"Yes. I'm very concerned for Erina-sama's well being. She hasn't returned any of my calls and hasn't shown up to class. I've only gotten a few texts from her saying she's under the weather and doesn't want to be disturbed," Hisako explained as this was news to both Megumi and Soma. For Soma, Erina seemed just fine to him when they talked last night. Maybe she was feeling under the weather and that's why she was up. Maybe he could start making her feel better with some soup or something.

Hisako accompanied the two on their way back to Polar Star. Though she had been there many times before, Hisako still wasn't use to the long walk to the dorms. She lagged behind Soma and Megumi a bit for a small duration of their trip but was able to make it to their destination in one piece. Once they entered, she immediately raced up to Erina's room, leaving the pair.

"She's really concerned for Erina-san. I am too, I haven't seen her this entire week. Her door has been closed shut this entire time and I haven't seen her at meals either," Megumi said. Even though Erina lived right next door, Megumi had not seen or heard from Erina the past week.

"I'm sure she's just exhausted from the trip back. We really spent a large amount of energy trying to beat those assholes," Soma replied as Megumi gave him a little look and a nod. Megumi was very happy to say the least that Soma had been able to save the rest of them. She was very proud that her best friend was basically the hero of the school. She was already an admirer but that only grew tenfold after they came back. That admiration had turned into a strong crush, one that Soma was very oblivious to.

When they got upstairs, they saw Hisako looking all over the floor for Erina. She explained that she had knocked on her door multiple times but she didn't answer. She checked to see if the door was unlocked and it was. No one was in the room upon further inspection and Hisako had checked everywhere on the floor for Erina. Both Soma and Megumi found this strange, especially since if Erina was sick, she should be in her room recovering. All of them were going to go downstair and tell Fumio about it when they passed the kitchen and saw that honey blonde hair that was all too familiar.

"Erina-sama!" Hisako yelled as she rushed into the kitchen and surprised Erina. The Nakiri turned around and was taken aback by her assistant and the two other residents standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Hisako was checking her to see if she was okay and if she had any fever or cold symptoms. Of course, the Nakiri princess said she was fine and that she was just a little exhausted.

"Sorry Hisako for causing you to worry," she apologized as Hisako responded, "It's okay Erina-sama. I just wanted to make sure that you were all right."

Hisako stayed with Erina in the kitchen as both Soma and Megumi left to their rooms, both feeling better that Erina was fine. It was mid afternoon and Soma decided to take a little nap before doing anything else. He was relieved that Erina seemed to be fine. As he dozed off, the thought of her creeped back in his mind. Seeing that long, honey blonde hair flowing down Erina's back brought him some comfort. She looked nice today compared to last night, when her hair was all out of sorts. Soma found that very entertaining but didn't tease her since he knew he would be on the receiving end of her tirade.

Of course with the way Soma slept, that little nap turned into a night's rest as he woke up at about one in the morning. The sun that had been shining was replaced by the illumination of the moon. It was actually the first time he slept well. He didn't really think about it at the time, but he really slept well thinking of her.

His stomach growled as he rolled out of bed. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and was starving. He made his way to the kitchen only to find that the light was still on and the multiple stoves being used. No one was in the kitchen, yet there was food sizzling in pans. He moved closer to inspect and saw a well cut piece of salmon being grilled along with fresh herbs and spices. In another pan was a mushroom risotto, which appeared to be ready. He got a spatula and mixed the risotto one more time before taking it off the stove.

As he did this, his name shot through the air, "Yukihira! What are you doing!" yelled the voice as Soma nearly dropped the pan and its contents. As he turned around, there was Erina standing in the doorway, in a very tight magenta t-shirt with her chef apron covering it. She had on short shorts and was in slippers and had her hands folded, propping up her larger breasts. In her hands was some basil leaves from the garden in the back.

"Really Nakiri, you need to stop scaring me like that. And this, the risotto was ready so I was just taking it off the stove so it wouldn't burn. Don't you know to not leave the station while the stoves are still on?" he retorted which made the Nakiri a bit embarrassed but she stood her ground.

"I know that you idiot! I just had to get something from the garden," she said as she walked past Soma and returned to inspect her risotto. "Besides, why are you even up, it's past one already. Don't you have class tomorrow?" the blonde asked as she flipped her salmon to the side and carefully added basil leaves to the oils in the pan.

"I could ask you the same thing. Though, I hear you haven't been attending any of your classes since we've returned. Plus, I'm up because I'm hungry and I haven't eaten all day." Soma answered back.

"Well who's fault is that?" Erina replied as she remained focused on her food. Soma didn't answer and was roaming the kitchen looking for food to use to make him something.

"What are you looking for?" she asked as Soma turned to her and gave her a weird look.

"I'm looking for things to cook?" he replied. He thought that was such a stupid question to ask.

"Sit down and wait. You can eat this since it's almost done," she replied back as Soma, a bit shocked, took a seat and waited patiently for his meal. It was only a minute or two before Erina finished cooking and plated the food. She placed the mushroom risotto on the plate first and then placed the salmon on top. She then poured a lemon-butter sauce which coated the salmon and the risotto. She then placed some chopped up basil leaves over the salmon as a garnish. She then presented it to Soma and he inspected it very closely.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Erina asked as Soma inspected her cooking.

"You know, this looks like something I would make at the diner. Who knew you could cook such basic food, Nakiri," Soma replied as he chuckled a bit at his joke. Erina got red in the face as she reached for the plate but Soma blocked her from taking it away.

"I'm kidding," he replied as he took a fork. He looked at her a bit strangely and Erina blushed as she stared into his golden eyes. "You not gonna eat?" he asked.

"I've been cooking and trying things all day, I'm pretty full," she replied as after hearing this, Soma wasted no time in digging in.

"Itadaikimasu!"

The first bite he took was pure bliss. Though it was a very basic meal, all the flavors blended perfectly together. The risotto was very light, even though it's suppose to be a starchy and rich. The salmon was grilled to perfection and the lemon-butter sauce gave it the acid that the dish really needed. Soma wasted no time finishing the meal.

"Gochisosama!"

He put down the fork and was stuffed. The meal was very filling and something that Soma needed from not eating all day. Erina watched him eat with delight. Even though he scarfed down the meal in seconds, she noticed that every bite he took, he savored the food.

"Well, how was my so called diner food?" she asked, wanting an honest opinion. Soma stopped to think for a moment and a grin formed before he answered.

"It was adequate," was his response. Erina huffed and turned away with her arms folded, completely unimpressed by the sarcastic answer the redhead gave her.

"But, I wouldn't mind getting use to this," Soma added as Erina's heart skipped a beat and a heavy blush formed. If she was still facing Soma, the blush would be so obvious that even the dense Yukihira would notice.

"Y-y-you wouldn't mind g-getting use to what, Yukihira?" she replied, having some difficulties speaking.

"I wouldn't mind eating your adequate cooking from time to time," Soma replied, not realizing the change in Erina's tone. In reality, he hadn't really thought about what he said too much either. Of course he was too dense to realize that Erina thought he was flirting with her.

"Ha! In your dreams Yukihira. Don't be surprised if this is the last time you'll ever taste my cooking," Erina responded. Her response was more of a joke.

Soma chuckled a bit, "there's the Nakiri I know," he thought to himself.

Silence filled the kitchen as Erina cleaned up the kitchen and Soma got up to help her.

"So how are you feeling Nakiri? Still sick?" Soma asked, deciding to break the silence.

"I'm fine, why do you even ask?" she questioned back.

"Well I mean you told Hisako you were sick and stuff, but I mean you seemed fine last night. Hisako was really worried about you," he replied as Erina felt a bit sorry for her assistant. She didn't mean to lie to her, she just wanted to be alone and not be bothered by anyone at the moment.

"Sometimes, Hisako worries too much," was her only reply as she went back to the dishes. As the two finished up, Soma headed for the exit as Erina finished up wiping the countertops.

"Thanks for the meal Nakiri,"

"You're welcome, Soma-kun,"

"Oh and Nakiri. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm just a couple doors down." Erina looked up at Soma as their eyes met each others.

"I'll keep that in mind. Goodnight Soma-kun,"

"Goodnight. Don't stay up too late now. I better see you in class tomorrow since you're better now. No more playing hooky,"

"GOODNIGHT YUKIHIRA" she replied, not amused with his joke as Soma laughed and disappeared back to his room.

When he was out of sight though, Erina could only smile as she thought about his "I could get use to this" remark. She could get use to this too, though, she wouldn't mind getting use to him cooking for her either.

Of course, she would never let him know that.

As Soma plopped back onto his bed, he stared at the ceiling. He wasn't really tired and was thinking back to the flavors of Erina's cooking. He remarked on how a simple dish with minimal ingredients could have such a depth of flavor. Those thoughts of flavors soon changed to thoughts of Erina. He was starting to notice some changes in her from when they first met. It seemed she was softening up to him. Maybe she would soon say his food is delicious, though he highly doubted that happening anytime soon. He was starting to notice some changes of how he viewed her too. He found her very cute when she got mad at him and when she got all red in the face. He found it amusing that she was trying to hide the fact that she thought his cooking was good. Of course he downplayed all of this.

With regards to his assignment from Senzaemon, well at least he made it clear that his door was open if she ever wanted to talk, though she seemed fine to him.

Of course, what Soma didn't know yet, was that instead of saving her from someone else this time, he was going to have to save her from herself.

 **A/N Another day, another chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the story so far. I like the way it's progressing so far and like I said before I have a lot of ideas for this story. Please review this story to tell me what you think, if you want of course. Until next time.**


	4. How to Become a Great Chef

_Few Months Later_

It had been a few months and the school year was coming to a close without much incidents. The third years were preparing to graduate while everyone else was making sure that they were passing their classes and being able to make it to their next years in one piece. Over the course of those few months, both Soma and Erina found themselves together in the Polar Star kitchen late at night, albeit unplanned and much to the chagrin of the God Tongue.

They both still suffered from nightmares which kept them up, but after meeting each other and cooking food for one another, they were able to go back to bed and sleep peacefully. Unfortunately for Soma, Erina still refused to admit that his food was delicious. It seemed to Soma that Erina was fine, it seemed like she was back to her normal routine of yelling and insulting him. Though this came very rarely, only when he said something he knew would make her pissed.

It was early in the morning yet the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Soma was still sleeping since he had no class today and didn't plan on waking up anytime soon. However, that all changed when a series of loud knocks on his door awoke him from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, glancing at the clock that read 6:30 a.m. Whoever was knocking better have a damn good reason as to why they are waking him up so early on his day off.

As he opened his door, Megumi stood there, with her uniform on with a very annoyed face. Soma wondered what was wrong, but before he could speak all he heard was. "Hurry up and get dressed or we'll be late Soma-kun!" the girl yelled as she slammed the door leaving Soma very confused.

That's when he remembered what today was. Senzaemon had called a meeting that Soma was required to attend. Both Megumi and Erina were also required to be there. As he got dressed, Soma wondered about why there was a call for a meeting so suddenly and this early in the morning. As he walked downstairs, Megumi was waiting for him. She explained that Erina had already left and that the two of them needed to hurry to avoid being late.

Soma rode his moped and Megumi rode her bike as they made their way to one of the larger lecture halls on campus. As they walked into the room, basically everyone that needed to be there was there. Senzaemon was not present yet, which greatly relieved Megumi, and the two took their seats near the Aldini brothers and Ikumi. As Soma looked around, every student who competed in the main tournament of the Autumn Elections were there.

Both Nakiri's were present which wasn't much of a surprise and of course Ryo Kurokiba was sitting besides them too along with Hisako. Miyoko Hojo was present as well as Nao Sadatsuka. Subaru Mimasaka was near the back, jingling a set of keys for the locks on his bike. As Soma looked around the room more however, he realized that not only first-years were among those in sitting in the lecture hall. Isshiki was also in the room sitting next to Terunori Kuga. Sitting closely to them was Nene Kinokuni. The talent in the room was ridiculous and that whatever meeting that was being held must've been very important.

The doors opened again as Senzaemon walked in and lagging behind a bit was Hayama Akira. He took a seat off to the side as Senzaemon moved to the front of the room to address all those in attendance. All of the students drew their attention to the director as he started his speech.

"Well it seems as though you are all here so I guess we'll begin. I know the school has gone through some changes since the little incident we had a few months ago. Obviously, you all have seen them or experienced them in some way. You all should know as well that the Elite Ten was disbanded until further notice due to their actions," Senzaemon spoke as Soma was starting to figure out where this little meeting was going from here.

"Which brings me to why you all are here. Since the school year is coming to a close, many of you will be going home for the summer to hone your craft and prepare for the next school year. It will give you all a perfect opportunity to train and improve yourselves to the challenge that you will face at the beginning of the next school year. The sixteen of you have been chose to compete for spots on the new Elite Ten Council," he continued as many in the room perked up at those words.

"The Elite Ten are very vital to the schools everyday operations which I have been running since the disbandment. I believe now that it is time to select a new Elite Ten from the younger generations, which is all of you in this room," Senzaemon finished as he waved his hand. In came an assistant pushing a cart with two knife blocks on it.

"Each of you will take a knife which represents what group you will be competing in. Since there is 16 of you, only 10 of you can advance into the main elections. In the main election process, the remaining 10 will pair up and compete one-on-one against their opponent. Whoever wins will advance to the finals."

"There will be a 5 person final round to decide who the first seat will be. The first seat will be decided by whoever gets the highest score by the panel of 5 judges. After the first seat has been decided, the four that lost will compete against each other with whoever having the highest score out of the four will be the second seat. The second highest score will become the third seat and so on and so on. This will be done to figure out seats 6-10 as well. Though it may be a little unorthodox method of competing, this will be the quickest way to determine the council seatings. Besides, if you aren't able to become the first seat, then that means you all basically have much improving to do. Plus, you always can compete in Shokugeki's to move up in seating as well,"

"Now, everyone must come down and choose a knife," the director finished as all 16 students in the room came down to draw knives.

Akira went first since he was the closest to the knives block. He drew a knife that had a large A on it and moved aside. Alice then stepped forward to draw a knife that also had an A on it. Ryo took a knife which said B on it. Everyone went forward to draw a knife. As the last person picked the knife, they were then told to get into the groups of the letter on their knife.

Group A consisted of Hayama Akira, Nakiri Alice, Arato Hisako, Sadatsuka Nao, Tadokoro Megumi, Terunori Kuga, Subaru Mimasaka and Aldini Takumi.

Group B consisted of Nakiri Erina, Kinokuni Nene, Mito Ikumi, Satoshi Isshiki, Kurokiba Ryo, Hojo Miyoko, Aldini Isami and Yukihira Soma.

When looking at the groups, it was obvious that Group B would be the tougher group to get out of since there were many great chefs in it. Former Elite Ten members Isshiki and Nene to go along with the God Tongue herself Nakiri Erina. Ryo was also in the group to go along with the person who basically brought down Central in Soma. Group A seemed to be more evenly matched. Besides Kuga and Akira, who were also former members of the Elite Ten, everyone else were basically first-years that competed in the Autumn Elections but failed to make it to the finals.

Senzaemon looked on at the two groups and nodded his head. This was turning out to be a great idea. "Well now since you're all in your groups, I will remind you again. You will all get the entire summer to train and improve your cooking styles. You all are talented, but this election will definitely showcase who has what it takes to succeed in the competitive culinary world. The week that classes resume, you all will be competing in your groups and will determine who makes it to the finals," Senzaemon finished as he dismissed them from the meeting.

Soma, Megumi, the Aldini's and Isshiki all started their trek back to the Polar Star dorms. The Aldini twins had become regular guests at Polar Star along with Ikumi, Hisako, Alice and Ryo. They had all formed a tight group of friends that joked and competed against each other. However, silence filled the air seeing as though in a few months they would have to compete against each other. This would be the most serious cooking they would have to do in their entire lives, since it was for a spot in the Elite Ten. They all were thinking about what they would do during the summer to improve themselves. Soma actually wondered what he was going to do during the summer, seeing as though his dad might not even be home.

As the group arrived at their destination, Fumio and Joichirou were waiting for them as well as the rest of the Polar Star members. A nice breakfast spread was prepared for them by Joichirou himself which definitely satisfied everyone's appetite. Later, as everyone made their way back to their rooms, Soma found some alone time with his dad on the front porch of the dorms.

"So Soma, I take it the old man gave you all the entire rundown of the Elite Ten Elections?" Joichirou asked.

"Yeah. It's going to be very interesting. I think I'm in the tougher of the two groups. I have two former Elite Ten members plus the "God Tongue" herself," Soma air quoted as he chewed on a piece of squid.

"Oh? Ojou-chan is in your group huh? Well, looks like you'll have a lot of training to do over the summer," Joichirou said, amused that Erina was somehow in Soma's group. "Unfortunately, I won't have the time to help you with that, since I'll be abroad again," he continued as Soma just focused on the clear blue sky.

"I figured you would be. I might head down to the diner and do some cooking. Maybe open it up for a little while you're away," the younger Yukihira responded.

"Ha, go for it. Though, I don't believe you'll have much time for that," Joichirou responded as two people were approaching the dorm off in the distance. As they got closer, it was easy to tell who it was.

Erina and Hisako were making their way up to the dorms when they saw father and son sitting on the front porch of the dorms. Erina was taken aback at how much Soma takes after his father. Her heart raced as she got closer to the two of them and it nearly stopped when she saw both of their eyes locked onto her.

"Hello Ojou-san," Joichirou greeted with a slight bow of his head. "Yo" was the greeting from Soma.

"Saiba-sama," Erina responded and bowed to her idol. Basically ignoring Soma's greeting.

"Remember it's Yukihira now. How are you doing Erina-chan?"

"I'm well Sai-…Yukihira-sama. W-will you be staying here for a while?" she asked. Soma and Hisako picked up on her stutter when she was talking to Joichiro.

"Ah actually I won't be. I'm getting out of here tomorrow and going back abroad to cook. Plenty of appointments ya'know. Which reminds me," Joichirou said as he stood up. "I need to start packing. Soma, meet me in the kitchen before dinner tonight. We will do our usual before I leave," Joichirou said as he walked back inside.

Soma jumped to his feet and yelled in his response, "Just you wait old man, tonight will be the night!" This earned a chuckle from Joichiro and a bit of confusion from both Erina and Hisako.

"Um, Soma-kun, what does he mean by the usual?" Hisako asked.

"You'll see tonight," Soma explained as he walked into the dorm followed by a still confused Erina and Hisako.

 _That Night_

Everything was prepared. All the ingredients were laid out on the countertop in Polar Star Kitchen. Father and son stood across from one another, facing each other. Soma's eyes seemed confident, while Joichirou had a giant smirk on his face. The father and son competition brought a large audience to watch. Every Polar Star resident was there. The Aldini's were there, Ikumi was there, even Alice and Ryo had come to watch.

Fumio sat down as judge along with Erina and Isshiki. The theme for the battle was donburi. As Fumio yelled for them to start, father and son wasted no time going at it.

Both competitors were in their own world, only focused on their cooking and no one else. For everyone watching, the kitchen was basically filled with an eerie silence. For both Erina and Hisako, they finally realized what Soma meant. This cooking battle was definitely something totally different from the typical Shokugeki they see at school. This was for something that wasn't tangible. This was for pride in the family.

Erina watched both father and son carefully. She watched her idol as he effortlessly finely chopped onions, ginger and scallions and placed them in a bowl to mix together. As she turned to Soma, he was dipping fresh vegetables into batter and was deep frying them. She couldn't help but notice that despite doing different things, their movements seemed to be in sync with each other.

Soma had truly learned from Joichiro and a small smile crept on her face. It was only a matter of time before the student became the master.

As the two finished up, the aroma in the kitchen was breathtaking. They were making two different dishes, but somehow the aroma together created something unique and only made everyone hungry.

Soma was first to present his dish.

"Here is Yukihira Style Ten-Don. Please dig in," he explained as three hot bowls of rice were covered by tempura battered items.

As each judge looked over the food, they really couldn't tell what each item was. The tempura batter shined to hide whatever food was inside. As the judges took a bite, a loud crunch was heard. All three judges couldn't express how good their first bite was. It was as though a shiny piece of gold radiated their entire body.

They had bitten into a lotus root, which usually doesn't have much of a crunch or doesn't usually have a large depth of flavor. Even Erina couldn't understand how Soma managed to get so much flavor into a simple item like lotus root. As they continued to eat the different components of the dish, the crunch in the tempura kept coming. What made the dish however was the sauce. It looked like a basic soy sauce that usually covers donburi, however, it had a hint of sweetness that usually isn't found in a regular soy sauce. Adding with this, Soma added pickled ume into the rice to add some acidity. The judges finished the entire bowl easily.

Then it was Joichirou's turn. He placed before them what looked to be a brown jelly-like substance with panko battered chicken with some curry on top. It looked very lackluster and unappealing compared to Soma's dish. Erina was little disappointed in her idols plating, expecting much better from him.

Joichirou still maintained a large grin as he presented his dish. "I give you Yukihira Style Curry Don." As the judges inspected the dish, they all wondered what type of flavors this curry don would have.

As Isshiki stabbed the jelly-like substance with his spoon, he scooped up what seemed to be a white substance that was underneath the brown jelly. As he took a bite, spices were hitting him from left and right. He couldn't believe what he was tasting. It was as though he was eating curry and rice except this time the curry had way more spices than it should or normally have.

As they combined the chicken on top along with the custard, the flavors jumped all around their taste buds. It was something that couldn't be described. Erina was taken aback by the flavors. Though Soma's dish really incorporated balance, this dish was extremely powerful. It was as though she was getting hit with a knockout punch of spices.

Fumio had actually finished her food while Erina and Isshiki were still working on theirs. She looked to Joichirou, wondering what he had up his sleeve in this cooking battle.

When it was time for judging, it was a unanimous 3-0 win for Joichiro. Though Soma's dish was very filling and satisfying, it couldn't match up to the flavor profile of Joichiro's curry.

"Yukihira-san, I must know what was the custard that you had in your bowl?" Isshiki asked as even everyone in the room wondered what that was.

"I figured you would ask. It was just basic curry and rice," he responded. This made everyone a bit confused. How on earth did he combine both curry and rice to form a custard.

Now it was Erina's turn to speak, "how did you make it though? It must've taken a while to make that into a custard and yet it was so flavorful."

Joichirou scanned the room and locked his gaze onto Alice before he responded, "Well you see, while I was in Denmark, I came across a certain corporation specializing in research. More specifically, I was invited, by a certain Nakiri family," he explained as Alice was a bit confused.

Alice stepped forward and put her hand under her chin, thinking about what Joichirou just said, "So wait, you know my parents?"

"Yes. Soe and Leonora Nakiri. Your father had invited me to look around the research facility of Nakiri International. Your mother also just so happened to teach me a few things in molecular gastronomy. Though I don't have any liquid nitrogen practice, I understand the basic principles of molecular gastronomy, and how handy the use of sodium alginate can be used for anything," Joichirou finished as everyone in the room was stunned. Soma couldn't believe it. His dad did know some advanced methods of cooking and he never cared to share with him.

"Ah Soma, well what number loss is this? 500 yet?" Joichirou teased as Soma grew angry.

"It's 492!" Soma yelled back as he sat on the floor, writing in his notebook. Joichiro couldn't help but laugh at his son and his fiery temper whenever he lost.

"Well, at least you did manage to learn something from your time here. I'm very proud of the chef you are starting to become," Joichirou said as everyone else in the room creeped in closer to look at the leftovers that Soma and Joichirou had.

"Oh yes where are my manners, I've made enough for everyone here to try. So please dig in," and with that, everyone lined up by the stoves and was making plates for themselves to eat. Soma on the other hand, still sulking, decided that he wanted to get some fresh air and went outside. Erina noticed him and quietly followed.

Soma went back onto the front porch and leaned back on the steps. His hands resting behind his head as he gazed up at the moon and the stars that were now illuminating the night sky. Though he had lost, Soma secretly was glad to hear his father compliment his cooking. He felt like he was finally catching up, despite the record number of losses. His thoughts however, were broken by the opening of the front door and out stepped Erina.

Soma turned around to look who was coming out and noticed the blonde hair Nakiri coming out. She quietly took a seat at the very top step. The two of them actually didn't talk or really acknowledge each other at first. Instead, they both gazed upon the beautiful night sky that was out before them. After some time passed, their silence was finally broken.

"You know, your dish wasn't half bad," Erina said, as her gaze remained fix on the night sky.

"Yeah I know, though there were some things I could've done differently," Soma replied, as he too, kept his gaze on the night sky.

Erina nodded and the silence returned. It was getting to the point that the silence was becoming very awkward. Neither of them knew what to say to each other, even though both of them had gotten a lot closer over the past few months.

"You cook a lot like your father, Soma-kun," Erina said, as she finally decided to look at Soma. Soma felt her gaze and glanced upwards at her as she continued to speak. "The way you both handle your knives and the techniques you use in the kitchen."

"Well, he basically taught me everything I know. Ever since I was three, I held a knife and cooked. It may not be the fancy foods that you cook, but I've cooked almost anything and everything there is out there," Soma replied as he finally turned around to face Erina.

He went on to explain the history of the father-son competition and some memorable matches that they've had over the years.

"I still can't believe you've never beaten your father in a match though. Almost 500 losses in your lifetime," Erina quipped as Soma really couldn't argue it. He plumped back down on the steps and folded his arms.

"Even when he was sick, I couldn't beat him," Soma mumbled to himself. Erina heard this and let out a small giggle.

"Maybe just shows you your skills as a chef are still very low," Erina responded, though in a more joking matter.

"Was that a joke from the Nakiri?" Soma retorted back and was met with an emphatic "hmph" from Erina who crossed her arms and met Soma with a very serious face.

"You do know that your face can get stuck like that if you do that often, Nakiri," Soma joked but no laughter came from Erina.

"Whatever," she said, as she stood up and headed to go back inside. Before she opened the door however, she gave Soma one more glance, "Just make sure you don't cook anything stupid for the elections, or else you'll never make it to the finals."

"Thanks for the advice," Soma replied. As Erina was about to go inside Soma added one more thing before she left. "Oh and Nakiri, Thanks." Erina turned around and gave Soma a soft smile and went back inside.

Soma decided to remain outside for a little bit.

"She really is something else," he thought to himself. Of all the interactions he had with Erina up to this point, this was probably the closest he's felt to her. He knew immediately that the person that had stepped outside was Erina. He had grown use to her smell, after meeting her so much during the nighttime in the kitchen these past few months. Soma closed his eyes and the first image that came up was of Erina. Her long, honey blonde hair going down her back. Her fragrance that he had grown accustomed to filled his nose. Soma wouldn't admit it, but the blonde was slowly becoming the object of his affection. He just didn't know that he was already the object of hers.

As the night went on, everyone in the dorms finally decided to head to their rooms and retire for the night. Soma finally ate some of his father's cooking and went up to his room. He found his father waiting for him, leaning up against the wall, looking out the window like he use to. As Soma entered the room, his father's gaze fixed back upon his son.

"Oh Soma, sorry, just wanted to see the old room again," Joichirou said as he started to walk for the door.

"Hey old man," Soma said as his father passed him on his way out. Joichiro turned to his son wondering what was up.

"How did you become such a great chef?"

Joichirou studied his son for a moment, trying to figure out what he was really up to. After a few seconds Joichirou finally decided to speak.

"I became such a great chef, because I found a woman I wanted to give all the cooking I make to her. Your mother was that woman, Soma. I became a great chef because of her. Even though she's not here anymore, I cook with her in mind. It's as though every meal I prepare will be for her. You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but if there isn't someone special that you want to truly share all of that with, then what's the point."

Soma listened to his father's words carefully. He was a bit surprised that this was the advice that his father was giving him. That Soma needed to find a woman to give all his cooking to.

"Ha, what if that woman calls your food disgusting?" Soma asked, catching Joichirou a little off guard. However, the older Yukihira chuckled and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Then you definitely know she's the one," Joichirou replied. Now this caught Soma off guard. The only person he could think that calls his food disgusting was Erina.

"You think your mom didn't try out all of my disgusting creations? She tried everything and called them disgusting. There were even recipes that I made that I actually tried to make it taste good, yet your mom still called it disgusting. But you know what? That never stopped me. That only made me more determined to make things that she would say were delicious. That is what a true chef would do. The first time she called my cooking delicious, I asked her to marry me right then and there," Joichirou finished and caused Soma to really think about this.

Joichirou chuckled more and opened the door to exit. "Remember, I'm just a phone call away. Also, do what you need to do for the elections in the fall. That will be a totally different beast from what you're accustomed to." Joichirou said as he made his exit leaving Soma in his room by himself. Soma laid down on his bed and stared at the wall, reflecting on the things that his dad just told him.

Soma's mind however, wasn't fixed on the elections advice. He already knew who the two best chefs were that would battle for the first seat.. He was more intrigued about his dad's advice about how to become a great chef. Was Erina really the person who would make him a great chef? There was no way he even had a chance with her right? Soma couldn't help but contemplate these thoughts in his head. However, the more he contemplated, even though he was unaware of it, the feelings he was having for Erina only grew stronger.

Meanwhile, down the hall, Erina was also lying in her bed. She was contemplating how the days events had played out. The meeting in the morning about the Elite Ten elections seemed pointless to her. Like Soma, she knew who the two best chefs were. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but one of the two best chefs lived just two doors down.

Not to mention the fact that secretly, she had like Soma's dish a little more than Joichiro's during their battle. She couldn't help but blush a little, thinking of the way Soma handled his way in the kitchen. Even the food that he produced now was on a totally different level from when he first got to Totsuki. She would refuse to admit it to anyone, even herself, but she was falling head over heels for the redhead. The past few months of cooking in the kitchen late at night with him had only deepened her affection.

Erina hadn't realize that with summer coming, these feelings she had for Soma would only intesify. Summer lovin, happens very fast.

 **It's been a while, but waiting for the new season really got me into the mood of writing this stuff again. Hopefully whoever reads this enjoys the story. Hopefully, there will be more of this story to come.**


	5. Do You Know How to Knock Idiot?

Summer had finally arrived and most of the students were heading home for their summer break.

Most of the Polar Star Dorm inhabitants were also bound for their hometowns to enjoy their break from a very stressful first year of high school. Many of them didn't even want to think about how stressful their second year would be after nearly getting expelled during their first years. However, before everyone was expected to leave, Fumio had organized a celebration feast for everyone making it through their first year. Everyone made a potluck dish that everyone could enjoy. Not only were the Polar Star residents involved, but also the honorary Polar Star members attended the celebration.

The Aldini's, Alice and Ryo, Ikumi, Hisako, Subaru, and Miyoko all came bearing foods that they had specially prepared for the event. Everyone got to converse with each other and talk about their upcoming summer plans.

The Aldini's were heading back to Italy to work at Trattoria Aldini and also train for the upcoming elections. Takumi swore to Soma that when he returned from Italy, he would challenge Soma for his mezzeluna. Ikumi was going to be heading back to her Stagiaire restaurant that she worked with to increase her skills of heating even further. Subaru and Miyoko were also heading back to their respective hometowns, as was the rest of Polar Star residents. Even Isshiki was leaving to return home for a bit before going off and doing some training by himself. Alice and Ryo were going to stay at the Nakiri mansion for a little while longer before they headed back to Denmark.

"Soma-kun, what are you going to do for summer break?" Tadokoro asked Soma as he was concocting another one of his creations.

"Me? Well I think I'm going to be sticking around here for the entire summer. Dad's not gonna be home so I don't really have anywhere else to go. Might head home and open the shop up for a couple days but we will see," he responded blankly to Tadokoro, too focused on finishing his creation. However, before he could turn around and have Tadokoro try some, she was nowhere to be found, not wanting to be a victim of Soma's creation again.

In another part of the dorm, Erina found herself with her cousin, Ryo and Hisako, also discussing upcoming summer plans.

"So Erina, what are you going to be doing for summer break?" Alice asked, always wanting to bug her cousin about what she's going to do.

"Well, I'll probably stay here and help Ojii-sama with whatever he needs help with. This is the time of year he starts to get a lot of corporate events that he needs to attend to," Erina replied.

"Mou, that's sooooooooooo boring Erina. Why don't you let loose and relax. Why don't you come with me and Ryo to Denmark? I'm sure Okaa-sama and Otou-sama would let you stay," Alice argued, wanting to spend time with her cousin.

"It is my duty to help Ojii-sama as much as possible. I don't think I'll have any time for fun and games this summer," Erina replied, though deep down she really would've liked to go to Denmark with her cousin as well. However, as the God Tongue, she had a reputation to uphold and many duties that she would need to attend to.

"Boo you're no fun Erina. Will you at least be moving back into the Nakiri mansion? We are going to be sticking around for a little while longer and I'm sure your room at the mansion hasn't been touched," Alice begged.

"Well…." Erina really had to think about this one. She wasn't opposed to moving back to the mansion, now that her father was no longer in control, however, moving away from a certain redhead would most certainly not be ideal.

"I actually haven't thought about that yet," Erina lied, "I will talk to Ojii-sama about moving back in. I'll just have to pack all my stuff again."

A loud "yay" came from Alice as they continued off on a different conversation. As the night went on, the party moved to Marui's room, much to the chagrin of the glasses wearing young man. Ryoko's rice juice livened up the mood as everyone was celebrating the end of their first year.

Eventually, everyone retired to their rooms and prepared for their departures for the summer. As soon as the sun started to shine, movement in the dorms increased. Luggage could be heard rolling around the halls as the dorm occupants were heading out. Everyone were saying their goodbyes to each other. Even Erina was giving goodbyes to the dorm residents leaving.

Eventually, only Soma and Erina remained. Fumio of course would stay in the dorms, but Soma and Erina were going to be the only two occupants over the summer. The two hadn't talked during the celebration because they were with their respective friends.

Soma noticed that Erina moved to the kitchen after the last resident left, to prepare some food, "Huh, you're still here? I thought you would be leaving or at least moving back to the mansion?" he questioned, shocked that Erina was actually still in the dorms.

"I'm actually staying here for the summer. I have some family duties to attend to. Also, I haven't actually decided if I wanted to move out yet or not," Erina replied, as she snooped around the kitchen for cookware and ingredients. Soma was intrigued by her reply. He thought she would definitely want to return back to the mansion, but she had decided to stay at Polar Star ever since they had gotten back from Hokkaido.

Soma however, didn't think anything of this and decided to return to his room. This was going to be a very interesting summer.

 _One Week Later_

Though both Soma and Erina were the only ones in the Polar Star Dorm, the two actually didn't see each other as often. Not to mention the fact that Erina was a bit uneasy that the object of her affection was the only other person in the dorms. She was awkward and didn't really know how to act whenever she saw Soma.

The situation she was in was different from her shoujo manga's. Though whenever she saw Soma she would blush or become flustered, nothing really came of it. They would say their hellos and move on to whatever else they were doing. It also didn't help that Erina was stuck doing 8 hours of paperwork or tasting appointments at the Nakiri mansion everyday.

Soma on the other hand, was training as best he could. He was experimenting with different cuisine and ingredients to find the best pairings he could show off at the elections. He would sometimes call Shinomiya for some advice about different French cooking techniques and would write down everything the former 1st seat would tell him. The knowledge Soma gained from these phone calls multiplied his skills immensely. He even had Fumio test his dishes to see his progress. In the short one week that he trained, Soma was becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Fumio had hinted to Soma that his flavors were becoming more bold and powerful like his father. That's exactly what Soma wanted to hear. Though he hated losing to him, Soma idolized his father. He didn't want to waste the lessons and training he received from Jouichirou. Eventually though, Soma wanted to surpass his father. Soma realized that the type of food he wanted to serve shouldn't be just bold and powerful, but be refined and display technique. He strived to be known as the greatest chef to have ever lived. Of course, he knew he would need to beat Erina to do it.

Speaking of Erina, of course our favorite redhead was also very awkward around her in his own right. He had never really dealt with girls before, and being the dense person that he is, could not tell the blonde's obvious feelings for him.

However, today was a very different day. Soma had actually gone down to the main campus to see if any of the larger kitchens were open. He had kept some ingredients in the Don RS club room and was wanting to try different things. As he walked around the campus looking for a kitchen, he actually bumped into Senzaemon, who seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll around the enormously large campus.

"Oh Yukihira Soma, it is a surprise to be bumping into you here during summer vacation," the director said.

"Yeah well, I'm basically stuck here since I really don't have anywhere else to go. Dad is traveling," the redhead replied as the director laughed.

"I see your father is still running around doing what he wants. Figures. He still has the same attitude he had when he was a student," Senzaemon said as Soma just nodded and gave a small chuckle as well.

"Well then what are your plans for this summer, Yukihira Soma?" the director asked, seeming to have an ulterior motive behind the question.

"Just training basically. Everyone else went home and I really don't have anything else to do," Soma replied.

"Well that is good. However, you should let loose for a little. I can help you with that. Follow me," Senzaemon said as he started to walk in a different direction. The very confused redhead did what he was told and followed the director.

Senzaemon had Soma wait in his office as he went off for a few minutes. Before you know it, Alice, Ryo and Erina all were in the office with Senzaemon sitting behind his desk. All four were equally confused as to why they were in the directors office.

"Now that you all are here, I wanted to give you all some time to just relax before you go and train your butts off," Senzaemon started as the four were still very confused at what was going on.

"Since there is no one on campus and you all must be bored out of your minds, I'm sending the four of you on a nice little trip. Think of it as your summer vacation," he continued.

"Alice has mentioned that there isn't much to do here, so I'm sending you four to a place where you can enjoy some fresh air. The Lake house we own near Lake Toya will be a nice little getaway from a very stressful year. I've actually scheduled for you all to leave tomorrow and stay there through the weekend. About 5 or so days you'll be there," the director finished as all of them perked up at the words lake house and Lake Toya.

"Yay! Thank you Ojii-sama, I knew you would think of something fun for us to do," Alice screamed in excitement. However, Erina had a question about the reason a certain someone was coming along.

"I like the idea Ojii-sama, but why does he have to come too?" Erina asked as she pointed at Soma who was confused a bit as to why he was going with them as well.

"Well why not Erina? You are all classmates and you all competed together. I'm sure it would be fine to include Yukihira with you. Besides, the Lake house is large enough that you all will have your own rooms and won't have to run into each other," Senzaemon explained as he let out a loud laugh. Erina just nodded and agreed with her grandfather's explanation.

In reality, Erina loved the idea of Soma coming with them. However, she had basically avoided him this entire week because she didn't know how she would act in front of him. Though she had fallen for the redhead, she didn't want to appear weak as she still had a reputation to uphold.

"Yeah c'mon Erina, don't be such a party pooper. I'm sure we can all find fun things to do," Alice exclaimed, as she found this as a perfect opportunity to get back at Erina for all the times she bullied her. "Come Ryo, we must start packing. I have a few bathing suits in mind that I want to bring!" Alice yelled as she grabbed Ryo and dragged him with her.

"Well you two better start packing. You don't have much time til you leave," Senzaemon said as Soma turned to Erina.

"Geez, is going on a trip with me really that much of a pain?" Soma asked jokingly.

"Yes it is actually. I do recall you snoring very loudly on the way back from the training camp. I would advise that you up your manners Soma-kun," the God Tongue said as she flicked her hair and walked out. Soma took his leave as well as a very content Senzaemon could only smile at the scene he just witnessed.

"Oh she has definitely fallen for your son, Joichirou," he thought as he returned to his director duties.

 _That Night_

Both Soma and Erina had returned to the Polar Star Dorms to start packing for their mini summer vacation. Soma was very interested in the fact that he would be able to go on a summer vacation after all. He just didn't expect that he would be traveling with the Nakiri's and Ryo. Soma got a bit excited with the thought that he was going on a trip with Erina. Just the four of them and not to mention that Ryo and Alice are probably going to stay together. He wondered how Erina was going to react at the fact that both her and Soma might be alone together at some points during the trip.

On the other hand, Erina didn't know what to feel as she started to pack her items. She was very excited with the fact that she would get to spend a lot more time with Soma, however, the biggest problem was how she would act. Being the only two people in the dorms was hard enough. Now, they would be in a place that was even more secluded and they would have to interact at some point.

Erina threw herself on the bed. Her heart was racing. She finally felt the feelings like the characters in her shoujo manga were feeling. The more she thought about alone time with Soma, the more she got nervous. He was such an idiot and a man with no manners, yet, there was something so attractive about him. His eyes were a sea of gold that she could just drown in at any point. His red hair was always so messy, yet it drove her crazy thinking about running her hands through it. The more Erina thought about him, the more she was losing control of her feelings. Soma was the complete opposite of her and yet, she was attracted to him immensely. This was definitely going to be a trip to remember.

 _The Next Day_

It was finally the big day to leave. The four chefs met at the Nakiri mansion where a limousine was waiting for them. The limousine was taking them to the airport where a private jet was waiting for them. It would be about a couple hour flight, give or take, to reach the airport. From there, the four were then taken by another limousine to the Lake house. When they got there, the property was massive. They had about 5 acres of land to themselves. The nature surrounding the property was beautiful. Especially since it was summer, everything was very green and there were trees and plants blossoming everywhere.

The property sat near the lake, with a tremendous view of the entire lake. The blue water was so transparent. There was a little dock area where people could jump off or go jet-skiing. There were nice hiking trails as well as a private onsen. The nature of Lake house surroundings were breathtaking.

As the four entered inside, Alice immediately grabbed Ryo and ran for a room upstairs. Erina also went upstairs to get a room as Soma walked around the downstairs area a bit. There was a large kitchen, fit with a large island in the middle. He figured that he would have to go buy some food if he wanted to cook, but he opened the fridge and noticed that it was fully stocked with fresh ingredients.

As he looked around the house more, there were at least two different living rooms with large TV's and sound systems. There were some bathrooms equipped with shower and other items. There were some smaller bedrooms downstairs, which really didn't appeal to Soma. If he was going to stay in the Lake house, he was going to go for one of the bigger rooms. He made his way upstairs. There was a large patio deck that could be easily accessed through a sliding door. A large living room area as well equipped with a fire place. Another large TV and a smaller kitchen was also accessible on the upstairs floor. There were two hallways on either side of the TV and fireplace. As he made his way down the large hallway, he thought he would look for a room. Alice had a found a room and Ryo's was right next to hers.

He decided that he would go down the other hallways since Alice might make too much noise. As he walked down the other hallway, he thought he tried to enter one of the bedrooms that had its door closed. However, as he opened up the door, there stood Erina, who was stripping in front of the large dresser in the room. Soma immediately froze, seeing the Nakiri in only her bra and underwear.

Erina immediately noticed Soma and yelled at him, "Do you know how to knock idiot!"

"Uh…u..u…uhhhh s-s-sorry," Soma said as he closed the door and moved on. Of course he had to choose the door that Erina was in. That would only make things more awkward.

Soma finally found a room. Ironically, it was probably one of the bigger rooms since it had a large bathroom included in it. He decided to settle in and take a small nap.

 _Few Hours Later_

Soma woke up from his sleep. It was only about 11:30 a.m. still and he was getting bit hungry. He decided to go downstairs when he heard the sizzling of a pan. Then chopping of some vegetables. As he walked into the large kitchen, that long honey blonde hair gave it away of who was cooking.

Erina had tight tank top on with short shorts. Her wardrobe definitely accentuated her curves and Soma couldn't help but stare a bit. After admiring her body for a bit, he cleared his throat loudly which made Erina turn around. She saw Soma, who was nervously smiling as though he had done something wrong. However, Erina immediately turned around and returned to her cooking.

Soma nervously got closer as he could tell she didn't seem to be very happy to see him. He took up a seat on the island, the farthest seat from Erina actually. He nervously looked at the view from the window before returning his gaze to Erina's back.

He cleared his throat again and croaked out a few words, "So, what ya making?" he nervously asked, which didn't illicit a response from Erina who continued to cook.

After a long silence, "I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't realize you were in the room," he said. He still didn't get a response from her. Soma saw that this was going nowhere and decided to put his hunger on hold and go outside to get some fresh air. Lunch could wait. Soma didn't feel like dying today.

As Soma went outside, he noticed Alice and Ryo were a bit farther down on the beach area. Soma decided to pull up a seat and look out at the river.

"Well that was a great way to start off this vacation," he thought to himself. He took off his shirt and decided to get some sun. He threw on some shades and rested his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, footsteps could be heard heading in his direction. Soma was too relaxed to even think about turning around. Eventually, he could feel the person's presence right next to him. As Soma looked up, he noticed Erina standing there, holding two plates. Soma immediately jumped and fell off the chair, startled by the sudden appearance of the Nakiri.

Erina looked at him with a cocked brow, amused by the redheads actions. Soma hid on the other side of the chair.

"Like I said I'm sorry. Please have mercy Nakiri," Soma pleaded which illicit a bit of a chuckle from Erina.

"Whatever do you mean Soma-kun?" she teased in a very innocent voice. This scared Soma even more.

"I just made some food and realized I cooked a lot. So you can have some," she continued as she placed the plate on the chair. Soma carefully inspected the food. It appeared to be a fully stuffed omelette, with cheese, onions, bacon, bell peppers, mushrooms and shaved black truffles on top. He cautiously picked up the plate and fork and inspected it again.

"What are you doing?" Erina asked, amused by the Yukihira's antics.

"I'm checking if there is any sign of poison in this omelette," Soma explained, making sure to inspect every detail of the omelette.

"Don't be silly, Soma-kun. I wouldn't put poison in your food. I wouldn't stoop so low to do that," Erina said as she started to eat her omelette. Soma looked at her cautiously and then back to his omelette. He took the fork and cut a small piece and ate it. It tasted delicious and was a nice mix of flavors. As Soma was about to put his second bite of food in his mouth, Erina leaned in a little and whispered,

"But if you ever tell anyone about that little incident that happened this morning, I would suggest that you sleep with your eyes open. Poison would probably be the last of your worries because I would kill you myself and I can make sure that no one would ever hear about it." Erina then closed Soma's open mouth for him as the redhead shuddered at the idea. He nodded and promised to not tell a soul as he chewed his food very slowly.

As the two ate, Soma finally calmed down and retook his seat. Erina took up a seat next to him as the two ate and stared out at the beautiful lake. Erina seemed to find some comfort in the beautiful scenery that was surrounding them. The scenery helped a lot, especially since the man that had saved her and stole her heart, saw her undressing a few hours earlier. It was safe to say that Erina was very embarrassed. But something about the scenery, the food and his presence started to calm her nerves.

"Have you come here often?" Soma asked, ending the long silence that seemed to plague most of their conversations.

"I've only been here once or twice when I was little. I think Alice has been here a lot more than I have. She knows the grounds well," Erina explained as Soma nodded.

"I guess I'll have to ask her about what there is to do around here," Soma said aloud, more to himself though and Erina just nodded.

As they finished up their food and took in the scenery, Soma always being the adventurer decided he wanted to do something fun. Since this would be his only relax time before the elections, he decided that he would enjoy himself.

"Hmm, Nakiri, do you by any chance know how to jet ski?" Soma asked to a very surprised Erina.

"I don't actually. I've never had time to do such things," Erina responded, trying to sound as dignified as possible.

"Aww c'mon, let loose Nakiri. This will probably be the only time that you'll be able to have some fun and relaxation," Soma goaded.

"I don't do things like that. Besides, knowing you, you'll probably get us both hurt," Erina retorted.

"C'mon Nakiri. You're not scared are you?" Soma teased, which cause Erina to reach her breaking point.

"I'm not scared of anything Yukihira! In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to jet ski better than you!" she yelled, tired of the redhead's teasing.

"Oh yeah? Prove it, Nakiri."

"I will. Prepare to get owned Yukihira!" Erina said as she went inside to get changed.

Soma just chuckled to himself a bit. "She really is something else. Do I really want to give her all of the food I make?" he thought to himself as he went inside to get changed as well.


	6. A Day Full of Competition

_Dock Area_

It didn't take Soma very long to get ready and change into his board shorts. He found some life jackets in the shed on the dock and also the keys to the jet ski's. There were only two jet ski's sitting on the dock, so it would be just Soma and Erina racing them around the lake. As Soma was finished getting everything ready, Erina came to the docks.

Soma, for the first time in his life, nearly had a nosebleed when he saw what Erina was wearing. She had decided on a simple, yet elegant(and downright sexy) two piece purple swimsuit. Her top definitely accentuated her breasts and it almost seemed like the top barely was able to cover anything.

Soma stared at the blonde as she made her way the jet skis. Erina noticed Soma's stares and blushed a little at the thought that the boy she had a crush on was most definitely checking her out. Soma on the other hand couldn't help himself. He really didn't know how to act around girls yet, especially the one who had caught his eyes. It's almost as though he had forgotten that she had threatened him with a painful death not too long ago.

"Is there something wrong, Soma-kun?" Erina managed to squeak out. This broke Soma out of his spell and choked a little.

"N-nothing Nakiri. Heres your lifejacket and the key to your jet ski," Soma stuttered as he managed to turn away and head toward his jet ski. Erina put her lifejacket on and the couple both got on their rides.

"So how are we doing this?" Erina asked, curious as to where the two would actually ride.

"We'll race to that little cove over there," Soma said as he pointed to a spot not too far from the lake. It wouldn't be a very far race, but Soma himself barely knew how to ride a jet ski, only riding it a couple of times, and decided that maybe an easy objective would be better.

"Um, ok." Was the reply that he got. Soma turned his key and the jet ski engine revved up as Soma got himself situated and familiarized himself with the controls again.

"Remember, don't fall too far behind Nakiri, or else you'll just be eating my dust," Soma teased as he was prepared and raring to go. This only got Erina's competitive juices flowing even more, but there was a problem. Erina on the other hand, was in a bit of a bind. She had never ridden these things ever, but she didn't want to ask someone beneath her how the controls worked.

"As if Yukihira! You're the one that's going to be sorry to even dare challenge a Nakiri." Erina snapped back. She placed her hands on the grab bar handles and started to rev her engine as well. It was almost as though she was a natural. However, as she was looking at how to work the damn thing, she accidentally released the safety brake. She went to rev her engine again like Soma was doing, but instead this time, she took off like she was shot out of a cannon.

"Hey, I didn't even say go yet!" Soma yelled as he raced to catch up with her.

Erina was screaming as she rode the jet ski to her destination. She was scared at first since she didn't know how to control the jet ski, but now, her screams were more of excitement and thrill. She definitely was a natural. She had never ridden one of these before, yet it was as though she had been riding all her life. Soma raced to catch up and managed to get just behind her.

Erina turned around and saw Soma, oh so determined to not lose to her.

The cove was in sight. The two were neck and neck with each other. Either one could've won this little race. However, Erina's luck finally ran out as she hit a small wave that she didn't expect, just before reaching the cove. Her jet ski went airborne a little and as it landed, the force threw Erina from her jet ski into the water. Soma raced passed her and ultimately won their little race.

Erina swam back to her ski, both angry and a little embarrassed that this happened so close to the finish line. Soma came circling back around to her with a wide grin on his face.

"Well you almost had me there Nakiri. You just had to choke in the end," Soma joked as a very soaked Erina's face reddened with anger.

"You got lucky Yukihira! If it wasn't for that stupid wave I would have most definitely kicked your ass!" She yelled as she got back up on her ski.

"Yeah, yeah. I thought you said you didn't know how to ride one of these?" Soma asked.

"I don't. However, it's only fitting that I can. A Nakiri can do anything easily," she retorted back as she flipped her hair.

"Of course you can," Soma sarcastically agreed. "Well, let's see if this Nakiri will get her ass kicked two times in a row. Race you back," Soma said as the two both revved their engines and headed back to the dock.

This time, it was a much closer race and most likely a tie. Though the neither of them would admit it. Where they reached the docks, both Alice and Ryo were waiting for them. They had been watching Soma and Erina racing and wanted their chance to ride. As Alice and Ryo got on, Alice had a slight grin on her face as an idea came to her head.

"Why don't we all have a little race?" She slyly said.

"How can we? There's only two skis and theres four of us," Soma replied. Alice looked at Ryo then back at Soma and Erina.

"Well since theres four of us, why don't Ryo and I take one jet ski then you and Erina can take the other?" Alice grinned as she asked the question. The oh so sly Nakiri grandchild definitely had some nefarious plot up her sleeve.

"Me? Get on a jet ski with him? No way," Erina refused as she pointed at Soma. "I don't feel like dying today."

"Hey, I'm not the one that crashed earlier," Soma retorted as Erina shot him a look. Soma gave her a cheeky smile in response.

"Aww Erina. Don't be a party pooper. Besides, we both know me and Ryo would whoop both your butts anyways," Alice teased. That was all it took to set Erina off.

"You know what? Fine Alice. You're on!" Erina shouted as she went to look for another lifejacket. Soma could only shake his head. There was no way he would be getting on a jet ski with Erina anytime soon.

...

Yeah, so much for that.

Soma found himself sitting behind Erina, without a lifejacket since they couldn't find a fourth one. Not only was he not driving, but he could also possible drown. Oh yes, what more could possibly go wrong for Soma today.

"Don't you think I should be driving? I mean, I am the more experienced one," Soma said but to no avail.

"Shut it, Yukihira. This is between me and Alice," Erina snapped back.

"I get that, but then why do me and Kurokiba have to be sitting behind you two? Why couldn't we just stay on the dock?" Soma asked to no response. Oh boy, maybe today was his last day on earth.

Both Nakiri girls revved the jet skis engines as they prepared their race to the cove. There wasn't even a ready, set, go. The two just looked at each other and counted 1,2,3 on their fingers and they were off.

Let's just say, both Soma and Ryo were not prepared for that start. They were both holding on for dear life. As Soma was holding on to Erina's waist, he looked over at Ryo and had never seen the usually tempered and calm Ryo in so much fear. Soma could see it in his eyes. The two Nakiris were going way faster than Soma and Erina were riding earlier. He wondered if it was really possible to go this fast on a jet ski.

The waters were mostly calm on their way to the cove, but both Nakiri's hit one huge wave that took them airborne and nearly forced Soma and Ryo off the jet ski and into the water. They were holding the girls so tight, but the two never noticed since they were too focused.

Both couples reached the cove very quickly. Both Nakiri's went at it on who go there first. Soma and Ryo were just glad that the ride was over and were able to catch their breathe. Since they couldn't come to a conclusion who was the victor, it was the boys turn to drive.

This time, there was a verbal cadence on when to go. Both Soma and Ryo both looked at each other and nodded their heads. It was almost like a, may the best man win, but let's not try to die today type of nod. They both floored it down back to the docks.

"Let's go Ryo, FASTER! Don't let him beat you!" Alice as yelling into Ryo's ear.

"C'mon Yukihira. They're catching up. Can't you drive any faster!" Erina shouted into Soma's ear.

The couples found their way back to the docks. Again, it was another tie. Neither could be bested by each other and although this didn't sit well with either Soma or Ryo, they both didn't want to have to ride with either Nakiri again. They silently and mutually agreed that this would be the end of it, and that the two Nakiri grandchildren can go at each other alone without them. Because Soma and Ryo wanted to live for a little while longer.

As things settled down, everyone returned to the lake house and change out of their wet clothes. Alice and Ryo decided to take a break and watch some TV while Erina was in her room reading her manga. Soma on the other hand, decided to go explore more of the outside area. He wandered around for a bit when he spotted an area on the lake that intrigued him. It was as though something red was peering through the almost translucent waters of Lake Toya. As Soma investigated it some more, he saw a surprising sight. There was an abundance of red fish swimming around in all different shapes and sizes. Surprised at his discovery, Soma decided to do a little fishing.

He went back into the house to try and find some fishing supplies. After a few minutes of looking, he couldn't find a fishing rod or net. He only had fishing lines and hooks. Soma went back outside and looked for some wood and was able to find the perfect rod. He attached the fishing line and hook and went to work. He took some pieces of bread with him as bait and went off to fish. He also filled up a large bucket with some of the lake water and planned to put any fish he caught in there.

Though fishing wasn't his best skill, Soma could easily catch fish. Plus, there were so many fish, Soma knew that he would get lucky to catch at least a few. He prepared the line and launched it back and threw it into the water and waited until a fish bought. After a few seconds, he felt a bit of a tug. He would have to hope that the wood would hold up and not crack on him as he tried to reel the fish in. Luckily the wood didn't break and he was able to pull the line in by hand with his first catch of the day. He unhooked a nice sized sock-eyed salmon and threw it into the bucket. He guessed that the salmon would definitely be apart of dinner tonight. As he threw out another fishing line, he stuck the wood into the sand and waited until he got another tug.

In the meantime, Erina had just finished her manga and had gone outside to stretch a little bit. Lying down and reading always made her feel stiff so she decided that she wanted to get up and walk around a bit. She noticed Soma along the Lake sitting down next to a large piece of wood and large bucket. She was intrigued by what the redhead was doing and decided to investigate.

She tried to be as stealthy as possible, even though there was no way she could hide or keep herself hidden. As she got very close, Soma jumped up unexpectedly and picked up the wooden rod. He pulled as much as the wood would let him and then stuck it in the sand again and started to pull on the fishing line. He could tell this fish was a good one because it took a lot of strength to try and bring it in. As Soma pulled with all of his strength, the line snapped and Soma fell backward onto the sand.

"Damnit!" He yelled in frustration as he got more fishing line and started to attach it to the rod. That's when he heard some laughter and looked to his left and saw Erina trying to cover her face so he wouldn't see her laughing.

"What's so funny Nakiri?" Soma questioned, a little pissed but a little intrigued at Erina.

"Nothing Soma-kun, I was just wandering about," she responded, trying to play off the fact that she just saw her crush fall backwards on his ass.

"Uh huh. Sure," Soma said as he went back to work on his makeshift fishing pole.

"What are you even doing Soma-kun?" Erina asked, intrigued at what the redhead was doing.

"Trying to put this fishing pole back together. Damn fishing line is always breaking on me. And this thing says heavy duty on the box. Heavy duty my ass!" Soma yelled in frustration at this particular brand of fishing lines.

"How is the fishing going?" Erina asked.

"Take a look for yourself," he replied as he pointed to the large bucket.

As Erina moved closer, she saw the one fish that Soma had caught on his first try still swimming around by its lonely self.

"How long have you been out here?" Erina asked.

"About two hours,"

"Two hours? And you've only caught one fish? She replied, more perplexed then trying to tease him.

"Well you know, it's hard when you don't have even adequate equipment. Besides, not like you could do any better," Soma replied, still trying to fix his rod.

"I bet I could catch more than you in two hours," she quipped back as she brushed her hair back.

"I'd like to see you try then Nakiri," was his response as he got up and gave the newly fixed fishing pole to Erina.

The God Tongue took the pole, but almost like the jet ski situation, she didn't really know to fish. Even though it was a simple fishing rod, she didn't know how to hold and position the rod in her hand. She also didn't know what to do with the fishing line that was hanging off the pole. So without thinking, she swung the pole back almost like a baseball batter swinging a bat and nearly hit Soma on the head, both with the pole and the hook hanging off the fishing line.

"Hey, hey, hey watch it! You're gonna kill me with that thing you know," Soma said as Erina apologized. She took a long thinking about it on her second try and eventually came up with another plan. This attempt also failed as she didn't have enough power into her launching of the fishing line and it didn't even make it into the water. A small snort from Soma could be heard.

"Yeah, don't think you're gonna be able to catch any fish at this rate," Soma stated as this only frustrated Erina even more.

"Well with you standing behind me like this, I can't concentrate," Erina replied as Soma moved away. Erina took even more time deciding how she would get the hook into the water. Soma was getting a bit irritated and impatient with the Nakiri. At this rate, only one fish would be on the menu for dinner.

"Ok look, here's how you wanna position the rod," Soma said as he moved behind Erina and took his hands and placed them on hers. She was a little taken aback, but didn't say anything and listened.

"Then you're going to want to aim it like this so the line reaches the water," Soma continued as this time he moved her body with his to show the position on how he would do it. Now his arms were wrapped around her, holding her in position. Erina blushed a little as Soma was walking her through the steps. She almost forgot everything he said, since she was focused on how strong his hands and arms were and how good they felt on her body. His hands were warm on hers and it made Erina heat up a little.

Once Soma was done with his explanation, Erina tried again. She did everything Soma said and managed to get the line into the water. After a few seconds, there was a tug on the line and Erina screamed in amazement. Soma helped her out and after a few minutes, they were able to haul in another nice sized salmon.

They put another bait on the hook and did it again. A few seconds later, another fish bit the line. Soma helped Erina pull out this one, which was even bigger than the first one she caught. This happened over and over again. With each fish getting bigger and bigger each time. The bucket was getting full and Soma called it a day much to the dismay of Erina who protested a bit but noticed that the bucket was almost overflowing.

Soma released some of the smaller fish, including the only one he caught, and kept three of the bigger ones to cook for later. He picked up the bucket and started to head back to the lake house with Erina.

"See, I told you I could catch more than you! It didn't even take me two hours," Erina gloated much to the chagrin of Soma.

"Well you know, you did have an awesome teacher," Soma retorted.

"My teacher was alright I guess," was her response. She was grateful on the inside at Soma's "hands-on" approach of teaching her how to fish. Soma on the other hand, was only amazed at Erina.

"First the jet ski and now fishing. Geez. What else can this girl do that I don't know about? She really is something," he thought.

As they reached the lake house, Soma went to the kitchen to clean and debone the salmon so that it could be cooked and eaten for dinner. Both Alice and Ryo were taking a nap and Erina returned to her room to take one as well.

As she laid on her bed, she could only think of how eventful this day was for her. First her crush had seen her half naked and then challenged her in jet skiing and even taught her how to fish. She was slowly beginning to like the idea of this vacation and also just being in Soma's presence. That wall that she had placed in between them since they first met was slowly starting to crumble by the day. She was falling so hard for him. At this rate, they would ride off into the sunset together by senior year. As she thought about Soma's strong, warm hands on hers, Erina drifted asleep, dreaming of the redhead, with a smile on her face.

Soma on the other hand was in the middle of deboning the salmon when he thought back to teaching Erina how to fish. He didn't think about giving her a hands-on teaching, it sort of just happened that way. However, he did remember her soft skin that he was able to feel for the first time. It was smooth like silk, and her scent was even more intoxicating. He was falling even harder than Erina at this point. He was beginning to see her in a different light and he was still determined to make her say that his food was delicious.

 _Few Hours Later_

It was beginning to get dark and the sun was just setting over the horizon. Soma decided that the best way to cook the salmon was smoke it. Soma liked doing things the old fashioned way and went outside to collect some wood. He was able to start a fire in the little camp area and placed a small grill over the fire. He seasoned the salmon and set it on the grill. There was definitely going to be leftovers since there was so much salmon to go around.

Erina came down after waking up from her nap and was definitely hungry. She looked outside and saw Soma sitting in the camping area with a fire, cooking something. She went outside and joined him, sitting on the same log as he was, but with a lot more space in between the two of them.

"Oi Nakiri, you have to try these smoked salmon. They're pretty good," Soma said excited as he handed her a small plate. Erina took it and watched as some cut some pieces of salmon and placed it on her plate. She took a bite and immediately loved the smokey taste of the salmon. She normally wouldn't eat salmon prepared this way, but since this was the only thing readily available she went with it. Eventually she downed all her pieces and asked Soma for more.

Alice and Ryo finally woke up from their naps and came outside to join Soma and Erina. They also enjoyed the salmon and Soma went into the house and grabbed bowls of rice and a plate he prepared earlier of other vegetables to be put on the grill.

"Where did you find this salmon Yukihira-kun?" Alice asked.

"I caught them," Soma replied followed by a clearing of the throat by Erina.

"Well, Erina caught them actually," he corrected.

"You caught them Erina?" Alice asked in disbelief. "You're joking right?

"Nope. I caught them. With a little help of course, but I did most of the work," Erina replied as she puffed her chest out proudly.

"I didn't even know you could fish," Alice said.

"Of course I can," Erina replied as she continued to eat. "Though, I had a really great teacher," she thought secretly.

The four enjoyed their meal and talked about different things. Well mostly Alice trying to pry how Erina was able to fish and catch such large pieces of salmon.

As the night wore on, a nice cool breeze fell over the lake house. Though it was summer, the lake could get pretty cold at night. Luckily the fire was still burning strong and providing warmth to the four teens. Both Soma and Erina had a large argument and fight over the last piece of salmon before they saved the rest. Soma wanted it because he did most of the work pulling the fish in, but Erina fired back that they wouldn't be having fish if it wasn't for her showing up and throwing the line into the water. They took so long arguing that Ryo got up and swiped the last piece and ate it himself.

This got Erina even more mad and she started to blame Soma for this happening. Alice started to tug at Ryo as a signal to let the two of them be alone and get along. They both got up without either Erina or Soma noticing. Once Erina had calmed down, the two remained outside looking at the beautiful scenery. She didn't realize it, but Erina had closed the space that once separated her and Soma. Now they were almost shoulder to shoulder, looking at the night sky together.

Though they were close in proximity, neither looked at each other, for fear of something embarrassing happening. Instead, they kept their gazes forward, to the lake and also the up at the night sky. The stars were shining brightly and a full moon was out. Even though she took a nap, Erina was still tired from all the physical activity that she did throughout the day. She was growing tired, but didn't want to remove herself from this moment. It was almost like a scene from her shoujo manga.

Without really thinking, she slowly rested her head on Soma's shoulder and closed her eyes. For some reason, she felt safe being this close to him. She felt as though nothing in this world could harm her.

Soma felt her head on his shoulder but didn't look at her. He didn't want to ruin the moment. He only smiled and prayed to kami he wouldn't mess this up. Eventually, he heard Erina breathing a bit harder, meaning she had fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake her but they needed to go inside so she could get a good nights sleep.

He wrapped his right arm around her waist and reached down and put his left arm behind her knees and lifter her up bridal style. He did it oh so gently and he took her upstairs to her room. He placed her on her bed and could only look and admire how cute she looked sleeping. As he was leaving he heard her murmur something in her sleep,

"Thanks for being a great teacher, Soma-kun." Soma turned around to look at her and smiled. He closed her door and went to clean up and go to bed himself.

As Soma laid on his bed he couldn't believe everything that had happened up until this point. He did realize that he was tasked with saving Erina, but he didn't realize that he might actually fall for her as well. Was there really more life than just cooking?

"If this is what the first day of vacation was going to be like, what would the second day bring?" He thought as he drifted off to sleep.


	7. A Fateful Night

**The Next Day**

As evening turned into morning, the shining rays of the sun reflected brightly off the clear waters of Lake Toya. Erina started to stir as a bright ray of sunlight entered her room. She flipped onto the other side, to face away from the sunlight. She started to search for her phone on the nightstand next to her bed. After a bit of scrambling, she managed to grab hold of it and groggily opened her eyes. It read 9:15 a.m. She gave a big huff as she sat up. She rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes as she got out of her bed.

She wasn't typically a morning person, but she wouldn't sleep in this late. However, her body had been neglected of sleep over the past few months and was now beginning the process of recovery. In addition to that, she had this vivid dream of Soma carrying her bridal style to her bed. It almost felt real to her. She could feel the strong hands he possessed and his tight toned body that she nuzzled her head onto as she slept in his arms. She even remembered how gently he placed her on the bed. It made her blush as she walked to the bathroom to get ready for the day. The way he took care of her in that dream, made him the most desirable man on the planet.

As she got ready and changed, Erina went downstairs in the hunt for food. It was a little too late for breakfast and a little too early for lunch, but Erina's stomach growled loudly, so anything would do at the moment. When she got downstairs to the kitchen, a situation had awaited her.

Both Soma and Ryo were on opposite sides of the kitchen and were extremely focused on their cooking. The smells and aromas from the two stations were battling each other for dominance in the rather large kitchen in the lakehouse. Erina was a bit confused but noticed her cousin smiling brightly as she sat on the island watching the two friends go at it.

Alice turned to Erina as she felt her presence, "Well good morning sleepyhead. So glad of you to join us," Alice said cheerfully as Erina took a seat next to her.

"What are they doing?" Erina asked as she observed both competitors.

"They're having their usual Shokugeki. Nothing is really on the line, but both were in a very fiery and competitive mood this morning. I was about to suggest a Shokugeki, when both of them already started as though they read my mind," Alice explained as Erina nodded in understanding.

She watched as Ryo powerfully started to debone some salmon and cut up vegetables for a stock. The seafood master was his usual self. She then turned to Soma.

Her favorite redhead seemed to be going about his cooking in his usual style. He was always somehow calm in the kitchen, regardless of the circumstances. He had this ease about him that she never really noticed before. He cooked with style and grace yet he always displayed bold flavors in his dishes. She had never really realized that part of his cooking before since she was also trying to watch him fail, but ever since that day he stole her heart, she began to admire that part of him.

Alice noticed that Erina had fixated her gaze on Soma. Being the person that she is and by observing the way Erina looked at Soma, Alice could easily tell that Erina was falling for the redhead. She couldn't believe her cousin was even interested in guys, much less a cook from a diner. However, Alice knew that if there were one guy in the world to tame her cousin, it would be Soma.

"Something catching your eye, Erina?" Alice teased as Erina snapped out of stare and looked towards the ceiling, a slight blush taking over her cheeks.

"W-w-what are y-y-you even talking about Alice?" Erina asked, trying to hide her face from her cousin.

Alice knew she got her cousin. The obvious signs were there, not to mention the fact that she saw Soma carry Erina into the house the previous night. She wanted to know how far her cousin had fallen for Soma and if it could lead to something more.

"Don't you find it interesting that the way our two boys cook is so different," Alice started as Erina still refused to look at her.

"What do you mean by that?" Erina asked.

"Well with Ryo, you can see the power and ruthlessness of his cooking. He doesn't care about if he's loud or if he hurts someone's feelings with his cooking, he's going to cook his food and let you know about it. Soma, on the other hand, is the total opposite. He is as finesse as they come and stays calm when he cooks. No matter the situation, his demeanor stays the same. You won't hear him, but you'll definitely remember him. Those traits don't come around very often for a chef our age, yet he possesses those qualities. Now, which one would you prefer, powerful, loud and produces star quality food, or quiet, finesse and unique food that you'll remember?" Alice explained as Erina pondered on the thought.

She did admire the way that Ryo cooked, as he did produce delicious food. However, the way Soma cooked was something she couldn't describe. Even Alice's adjectives for Soma's cooking didn't do him justice in Erina's eyes. Because even though he may not produce high-quality food, people seem to find his food the most remarkable. They remember his dishes compared to others. People can't stop talking about him or his food. He is an enigma that Erina couldn't get enough of.

"That's not fair to either of them for me to choose one over the other. However, a dish that will be remembered is something all great chefs strive for," Erina said as Alice nodded at her answer. She liked the way Erina tried to deflect the question, yet still chose Soma over Ryo.

The two Nakiri's remained quiet during the remainder of the Shokugeki, as they watched Soma and Ryo complete their dishes. When they finished, the two boys presented their dishes to the judge for this Shokugeki.

"Why am I the one that has to judge?" Erina asked as both plates were placed in front of her.

"Well the three of us already ate and since you woke up late we figured you would be hungry. We thought we'd have a Shokugeki and make you a meal at the same time," Soma said as Erina blushed at the mere sound of his voice. She turned to Alice who displayed the biggest smile. She would let Erina know later that it was Soma's idea in the first place.

Erina turned to the food and reluctantly pulled Ryo's plate to her first. It was expertly cut, deboned and filleted and seared. Erina could tell by just the mere cut into the salmon that it was going to be tender and juicy. Ryo had also added a mushroom risotto with a honey garlic sauce and summer vegetables for a different element of flavor to the dish. It was safe to say that Erina loved the taste. It was a dish that was well balanced and something you would find in a 5-star restaurant. Erina complimented Ryo about the flavors and the dish as a whole.

Next was Soma's dish. Without even tasting it, Erina could see that it was an Eggs Benedict. As she cut into it, the bearnaise sauce overflowed as a perfectly poached egg oozed out the creamy yolk that Erina enjoyed seeing. However, the meat was different. It seemed to be the salmon, seared the same way Ryo made his. Underneath the salmon was a fresh avocado spread. All of this was on top of a crunchy baguette that added a different component to the dish. As Erina put this large bite into her mouth, the flavors blended as though they were one. Whereas Ryo's components were flavorful on their own, Soma managed to blend together his entire dish into each bite. Hitting all of the taste buds with incredible flavors that Erina enjoyed.

She almost finished the entire dish before remembering that she needed to judge. Though to the other three, it was pretty clear cut who the victor was. Erina gave Soma the victory as the redhead smiled and took off his headband. However, she stopped short of calling his food delicious.

"Glad you liked it! Though I didn't manage to get delicious out of you, a win is good enough for me. I told you the combination would work Kurokiba!" Soma proclaimed.

Ryo was a bit peeved, but understood that he had lost to an undeniably great chef, who was the one that saved Totsuki. This would only make him a better chef in the long run.

Erina finished up her food as the others washed the dishes and clean the rest of the kitchen. After they finished, the group lounged around and did their own thing for a bit before they all found themselves in the living room watching TV.

Both Erina and Soma were trying to contain themselves when they were in the presence of each other. Alice and Ryo started to realize that the arguing and bickering between the two seemed to be far less than they remembered. Alice had thought to herself that, "though they were probably two of the greatest chefs in the world, they were beginners when it came to their feelings."

Despite the events of day one for both Erina and Soma, the next couple of days were similar to day two. The boys would do their Shokugeki in the morning with Erina as the judge. Then the four would go their separate ways until they would reconvene for lunch. Usually, Erina and Alice napped after lunch or watched TV while Ryo and Soma would train and talk about different techniques for the upcoming Elite Ten Elections. Then they would chill until dinner, watch more TV, then head to bed around midnight.

 **Day 4**

The group found themselves lying around as they flipped through channels on the TV. After lunch was usually their time to just lounge around the house and do nothing. The past couple of days had been lazy days that the four teenagers desperately needed. It was nice for them to finally relax and do nothing after a year of hellish work. However, they were now starting to get bored.

The four of them realized that besides the first day, they hadn't spent any of their time outdoors. Being lazy and unproductive was starting to get boring to them and the group decided that they would go out for a little fun in the sun. The beach was a great way to cool off and since the lakehouse had such a large plot of land, the group had plenty of room to operate. However, they decided to hang around each other not far from the house.

Soma and Ryo jumped off from the dock as Alice and Erina watched the two boys goof off in the water. The two girls were getting their tan on, Alice especially. The paler Nakiri was interested in getting a tanner skin tone, similar to Ikumi. She had heard that tan was in style now and knew that there wasn't much sun to get in Denmark.

The girls wore bathing suits that to an ordinary person, be deemed too small for their assets. Soma nearly drooled at the sight of Erina's bikini. He was definitely taking notice of her and her curves. Her body was something that every man would lust over and he was becoming no different. Internally, Ryo also noticed Alice's small bikini and realized that the friend he grew up with was a beautiful woman in her own right.

After tanning a little, the girls decided to get into the water. They didn't want to get too wet, but Soma and Ryo weren't going to let them get away that easily. Soma and Ryo concocted a plan to get the girls soaked. It started with some minor and small splashes in the direction of the girls. Erina had warned them not get them wet or they would suffer the consequences. However, the warning was not heeded. What can I say? Boys will be boys.

Erina's warning was the signal to make bigger and stronger splashes in the direction of the girls. The girls screamed as their hair got wet and tried to splashback. It eventually turned into a splashing war with no side being the clear cut victor. The only clear thing was that all four of them were very wet. After a couple of hours of the beach, the four went back inside to dry off and relax. After playing in the cool water, Alice suggested that after dinner they check out the onsen. Everyone seemed pleased with the idea and the night sky would be a beautiful setting for some steam.

After dinner, the four made their way to the private onsen that was located on the property. Alice and Erina went into their area and Soma and Ryo had to walk a little further to theirs. The warm water felt good on their tired muscles. After the year of nonstop cooking they had, it was finally time to let their muscles relax and recover.

Erina and Alice soaked in the bath as they conversed about different things. This was probably the closest the two had been since they were young. In Erina, Alice had a sister-like figure that she could converse and gossip with. In Alice, Erina had a person who wasn't Hisako that she could talk with openly. No matter what their relationship was like before, they were still family and this was a time to reconnect.

Their conversation switched topics to boys, which made Erina extremely nervous. Alice was talking very cheerfully about the topic, adding that Erina should have a man that she is interested in besides someone who's old enough to be her father. Erina didn't like where the conversation was going. She knew that Alice had something on her mind by the way she was discussing the topic. When Alice was cheerful and energetic about something, there was a hidden meaning to it.

Erina's hunch would be correct.

"What about Yukihira?" Alice asked, a mischievous grin slowly making its way on her face.

"W-what about h-him?" Erina responded as her face grew redder. This was not the topic she wanted to discuss with her cousin.

"Well, I see the way you look at him. It's completely different from before? I want to know what changed?" Alice asked, prodding Erina with the details.

"I don't look at him any differently. He is just an acquaintance is all. He is still a lowly diner cook who happened to help in saving the school," Erina responded.

"Don't play coy with me, Erina. I saw the way he carried you up to your room the other night. I know you wouldn't let any other guy hold you like that," Alice spilled the beans much to Erina's shock. She thought that was just a dream. There was no way Soma would do that. Erina was on the verge of hyperventilating at the thought of her crush doing that.

"You lie! There is no way Soma-kun would ever do that. Plus I would never allow him to carry me!" Erina tried to deflect Alice's revelation as a lie.

"I saw it with my own eyes, Erina. When we're done, why don't you ask him about it? Or should I tell him that you had a smile and a look of pure bliss on your face as he carried you to your room," Alice said, smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I would dare, Erina. Or, you can just tell me how you really feel about him. You can't lie to me. I see it on your face whenever you observe him cooking. You have the face of a girl that has fallen head over heels for him. Not to mention I've noticed that you two have not argued and bickered as often as you once did. Even when you do, you two resolve it amicably and work together to solve your problems. I am the master of noticing these things Erina," Alice explained as if it wasn't already, Erina's face was as red as a tomato. Alice knew that she had gotten her cousin. She had finally gotten the confirmation.

"So what if I do have some feelings for him-?" Erina started as Alice squealed in pure pleasure and joy.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Erina. I didn't know you liked guys, especially someone like Yukihira, though, I can tell that his presence makes you happy," Alice remarked.

"I wasn't done. It doesn't matter if I have feelings for Soma-kun or not, there is no way that I can be attached to someone as lowly as him. Making me happy has nothing to do with anything. Not to mention I have a reputation to uphold. Not only for the school but for our family as well," Erina said reluctantly as Alice huffed and crossed her arms.

"What is with you?! Everything is upholding our reputation for the school this and upholding our family name that! Who cares?! When are you going to start caring about your life and happiness? Isn't it obvious that Yukihira-kun is a one of a kind person? He obviously cares a lot about you. He wants you to call his food delicious and all that stuff. He wants your approval. In fact, I think his whole world now revolves around you. Don't you get that?" Alice said, getting a bit irritated with Erina's attitude toward the matter.

"I have no time for such activities as these. I'll say it again, it does not matter if I have feelings for Soma-kun or not. I have a reputation and standards to uphold with my public image and with my cooking. I do not feel that Soma-kun can help with any of those. Though I do admire his cooking, that is where my admiration stops. That is my final comments on the matter!" Erina said. She was getting a little irritated with Alice and her nosiness. Since when did her cousin care about her love life? Why was she bringing up all of these things now?

Alice stood up and huffed at her cousin. How could Erina be so blind to see the person Soma was. She felt that all Erina cared about was her image and reputation and nothing about her true feelings.

"Of all the things we've been through and all the times we've shared, I think tonight is the night I've finally realized how narrow-minded of a person you truly are, Erina. You refuse to acknowledge your true feelings for someone who probably feels the same way about you. You'd rather keep your reputation over a person who is probably the only person in the world that can give you true happiness. You can't even admit it yourself that you have feelings for him. I see Azami-ojisan has left his imprint on you. Well, I hope for Yukihira-kun's sake that he finds someone who appreciates him for who he is and not for his cooking. Just remember, once he's gone, you're never going to get him back, Erina," Alice said as she stormed out of the onsen.

Erina could only put her hands in her face. Why on earth did she say all those things about Soma? What was she doing? Though it was important to uphold the family reputation, she knew deep down that Soma was the only one for her. She would never admit it, but Erina knew that every word Alice was spoke was true. Why was this so hard for her? Her brain was telling her one thing, but her heart was telling her another. Erina knew she needed to do something, but she just didn't know how. If anything, she just pushed away the only person that could help her dilemma. Tears started to fall from the corner of her eyes. The thought of her losing Soma really irked her even though they were not in a relationship.

As she got out of the onsen and dried off, many thoughts race through her head. As she got home, she still didn't get to a conclusion of what she would do. She determined that sleep was needed, especially since after tomorrow, there was not going to be a lot of fraternizing with people as she would need to prepare for the new Elite Ten Elections.

 **Day 5**

Since today was the last day of their mini summer vacation, the group had decided to go on a hike and camp out for the night. They had decided this the previous day and got all of the hiking and camping gear together. After lunch, the group set off for their hike up to the campsite that had the nicest view.

Alice refused to talk or even acknowledge Erina, which amused Soma a little. Ryo on the other knew the reason since Alice told him everything. Alice and Ryo charged ahead since Alice did not want to even be in Erina's presence. That left Soma and Erina to venture up to the camping spot by themselves. It was an awkward silence between the two for the beginning part of the hike until Soma broke the silence.

"So is there a reason your cousin isn't speaking to you?" he asked.

"That's just Alice. She's very temperamental. She'll be fine later," Erina replied dully. She did not seem like her usual self today and even Soma could tell. Another round of awkward silence ensued after that.

As they continued the hike, Soma noticed the beauty of the surrounding area and also the view that was Lake Toya. In addition to the view, Soma also liked the time he was spending with Erina. Though he didn't know how to act, merely being in her presence was enough for him.

Unfortunately, the silence ended up near the camp. Erina's foot slipped on a rock that she didn't see causing her to trip. As she tried to get up, she noticed that putting any pressure on her right foot caused her a lot of pain. Soma helped her to stand as they figured out their next plans. Though it was close to the campsite, they were still about a quarter-mile away and it was too far to go back down to the house.

Luckily, Soma had a bright idea, "I'm gonna carry you on my back, Nakiri," Soma said as Erina was taken aback.

"But what about all of our stuff? We need these things for the campsite," Erina said.

"Don't worry about the stuff, we can just leave them here. I'll carry you to the campsite and then come back for them. They should be safe since this is a private area," Soma explained.

"O-o-okay. I-I guess it'll be alright," Erina said. For some reason, Erina wasn't going to object this offer from her crush. Soma squatted down and helped Erina get onto his back.

She locked her arms around his upper body as they made the treck up to the campsite. Her blush was very evident and she was lucky that Soma couldn't see her from their position.

"This seems oddly familiar," Soma said aloud to no one in particular. This only confirmed Alice's words from last night. Erina was very flustered and tried to hide her face in Soma's back.

"Oi, Nakiri, what are you doing? That tickles," Soma said as they made the trek up the hill.

"Sorry…." Erina replied.

The two continued their hike in silence until Erina finally had the strength to ask Soma something.

"Soma-kun, did you really carry me to my room the first night we got here?"

It was Soma's turn to go red. He was a little thrown off by the question and wondered why Erina decided to ask it now.

"Yeah, I did. I'm sorry if you don't like to be carried. I just didn't want to wake you since you seemed to be sleeping peacefully on my shoulder. Plus it was getting late so I figured that would be the easiest thing to do," Soma replied as Erina blushed even harder. The fact that he mentioned that she fell asleep on his shoulder only made her heart beat faster.

Eventually, the two made it to the campsite and Soma helped place Erina down near the fire pit. Alice and Ryo saw the two approach and were wondering why they came up like that and Soma had to explain why. Soma raced back down to get the camping supplies and managed to bring up both his and Erina's stuff to the campsite.

Both Alice and Ryo, well more Ryo than Alice, was making the tents. Ryo was putting the tent together while Alice instructed. It didn't seem to be working out for them.

"No! Ryo-kun listen to me! You need to put this piece and this piece together for it to stay up!" Alice yelled as Ryo struggled to find the right pieces to put together.

On the other hand, since Erina could barely stand, Soma had to put up both of their tents. He wasn't having much luck either from the God Tongue.

"Soma-kun, the tent is upside down! How did you even manage to make it like that!" Erina pointed out. Soma could only shake his head. He was doing better than Ryo when it came to hammering the tent into the ground, yet he got confused a little with Erina's instructions and placed it the wrong way.

"Well you know I was listening to you. So technically you made me put it on upside down," Soma replied as Erina didn't look amused with his response.

"Don't blame me because you don't know how to follow directions! Ugh, at this rate, we're not going to sleep in our tents tonight!" Erina yelled. Soma could only shake his head. There was the Erina he knew.

"Let me see that," Soma said as he took the instructions out of Erina's hand. He observed the paper and noticed something was a bit off. He could only chuckle and snort. Erina gave him a nasty stare as Soma's chuckle started getting louder.

"What is so funny?!" she asked.

Soma flipped the instructions around and showed the picture to Erina, "the instructions you gave me were upside down and that's why your tent is the way it is," Soma said as Erina blushed with embarrassment. She had never built a tent before and just went with the flow. She was wondering why the instructions looked nothing like the picture on the box.

"Let's try this again," Soma said as he started to take off some things from the tent. Eventually, after getting the right directions, Soma managed to get Erina's tent right side up. Erina didn't want to admit it, but Soma was really handy when it came to these types of things.

In no time, Soma managed to get his tent up as well and they were able to get their things in order. Meanwhile, Alice and Ryo weren't even close to done on Alice's tent, so Soma decided to help. Within an hour, they managed to get both Alice and Ryo's tent up with little problems.

They managed to finish a little before dinner time which gave them some time to relax. Soma helped Erina ice and tape her swollen ankle. Erina couldn't have been more embarrassed as Soma took care of her. Alice observed this and internally snickered.

"I told you, Erina, you are totally in love with Yukihira," she thought.

Soma helped Erina get her tent set up with all of her things. Eventually, it was time for dinner. Ryo and Alice were tasked with getting the food prepared while Soma and Erina would start on the fire.

Erina watched as Soma started the fire the old fashioned way with a stick, wood, tinder, leaves, and kindling. She watched as he expertly twisted the stick with his two hands and caused the friction. Within no time, there was some smoke coming out and a small flame. Soma tried to shield the flame from the breeze but it was becoming hard. The cool breeze was a nice feeling but was routinely putting out the fire.

Erina chuckled a bit as she sat and watched Soma get frustrated after many failed attempts. Soma noticed her laughs and threw a small piece of wood at Erina playfully. Erina was thrown off a bit but found a rock and threw it back.

"Hey watch it. Why don't instead of laughing at me fail, why don't you come and help me," Soma said.

"I'm hurt, remember?" Erina retorted back.

"You don't need to stand to do this. Here let me help you," Soma said as he went over and helped Erina up. She felt the roughness of his hand as he helped her. He put her arm around his shoulder so he could help her to the fire pit. He helped her sit down as he plopped himself next to her. He brought over all of the materials as he showed her how to start the fire.

Erina watched attentively to what Soma did and tried to copy it. She started to do it but wasn't causing enough friction to start the fire. Soma noticed this and decided to help her. He put his hands over hers as they turned the stick together to cause some sparks.

"There you go, you're getting the hang of it now," Soma said as Erina was now causing some smoke. Eventually, there was a small flame that Soma shielded from the wind. After some time, they finally were able to get a full-fledged fire going. They slapped a grill on and whatever food they wanted was ready to eat.

"Wow, you're pretty good at stuff like this Nakiri," Soma said, amazed with Erina's will to learn these types of things.

"I would like to think I had a pretty good teacher," Erina replied with a small smile. She was really thankful for everything Soma did for her today. Soma laughed a bit, though he did enjoy hearing Erina say positive things about him.

Alice and Ryo bought the dinner items. Fish, meat, veggies, and some rice were on the menu tonight. Anything that could be grilled in the fire pit was given and the four friends cooked their things.

The stars were shining brightly in the clear summer night sky. It was a nice backdrop for dinner time. Also, it seemed Alice finally let go some of her anger as she was now at least acknowledging Erina's presence. The four of them talked about many different things ranging from school to even some of their childhood memories. Everyone was interested to listen to Soma's childhood and how he was raised. Since he didn't come from money, Alice and Erina were very shocked to hear about some of the things Soma had to do growing up.

As the evening progressed, the four of them finished all of the food they had brought up with them. It was safe to say that they were all very full and content with their meals. After dinner, the group admired the view that they had from the campsite. They could see the moon's reflection off the lake and also the beautiful night sky. Secretly, Alice and Ryo moved away to a different spot of the campsite, unbeknownst to Soma and Erina. The God Tongue and the diner cook were too busy admiring the view they had before them.

There were no words spoken between them, instead, they basked in the presence of one another. Also, neither of them wanted to mess up or say anything stupid at the moment. It was obvious that they had developed chemistry during their stay in Lake Toya, even though neither knew of the others feelings.

After some time passed, Soma figured he'd break the ice this time, "it's an amazing view at night," he said, keeping his gaze fixated towards the lake.

"It really is. I've never fully realized why people camp outdoors, but now I can see why. This view really makes for spectacular ambiance," Erina responded as she turned her line of sight to Soma. She observed him as he moved to lay on his back with his hands resting behind his head. He seemed so relaxed, much more relaxed than herself at the moment.

"Soma-kun, can I ask you a question?" Soma turned a bit to look at Erina.

"Of course."

"Why do you cook?" Erina asked.

Soma pondered the question for a bit. It seemed like such a straightforward question, but it had a much deeper meaning for him.

"Well, I cook because it brings me genuine happiness. I love to see the faces of customers who enjoy eating food. Obviously, I want to be the best. I came to Totsuki to become the best and to learn different techniques and cuisine from other amazing chefs. But I know that striving to become the best shouldn't interfere with my happiness. I remember dad saying that after a while, winning all of these tournaments and awards didn't do it for him. None of those things brought him true happiness. That's why he left Totsuki in the first place. Then he met mom and for the first time, found the happiness he had been searching for. I think the best advice he ever gave me was that the secret to becoming a great chef, is to find a woman that will make you want to give all the food you make to her," Soma said as Erina listened intently to his words.

"Have you found that someone?" Erina asked.

"Maybe. Though, I'm not sure we're compatible. But, I'll see where life takes us," Soma said as he returned his gaze to the night sky. Erina looked a little disappointed in his answer but didn't catch the subtle hint that it was her. She returned her eyes to the night sky. It was at that moment that a shooting star passed through for a moment. Soma sat up as both of them looked at each other for confirmation in what they just saw.

"Well, you better make your wish Nakiri. It's not often you see a shooting star like that," Soma said. He closed his eyes as he thought of a wish. Erina did the same as she thought of hers.

Did they make the same wish?

After they made their wish, fireworks started to go off in the air. The different colors lit up the night sky as Soma and Erina watched. It seemed like a nice finale for their getaway before they went back to training.

As though someone else was controlling her, Erina moved closer to Soma. From her experience from her manga, events like these always seemed romantic. She decided to make a subtle move hoping to not spook the redhead.

Soma, on the other hand, obliged. He smelled her intoxicating perfume that he was beginning to grow on him. They were nearly shoulder to shoulder as their eyes stayed on the fireworks show. Erina rested her head on his shoulder. She really did find it comfortable. Soma sat as still as a statue, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"She must really like my shoulder," he thought. The two stayed like this until the fireworks ended. Neither could move, not wanting the moment to end. Meanwhile, Alice and Ryo were returning to their tents for the night. They both saw the couple in the position they were in. Alice snapped a photo quickly before they made their presence known.

Immediately, both Soma and Erina scooted away from each other as though nothing happened. Alice snickered a bit as Ryo looked like his usual self though he was very amused at the scene.

"Don't go to sleep late now you two. We have to leave here early since Erina got hurt. Not to mention the car comes at noon tomorrow to pick us up. Have a good night," Alice said teasingly as both Soma and Erina blushed.

"Well, I guess Alice is right. We should be heading for bed. Here, let me take you to your tent, Nakiri," Soma said as he stood up and extended his hand to Erina. She took it and painfully stood up. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder again as he helped her to the tent. She limped there as she used him to keep her balance.

"Thank you for helping me out today Soma-kun," Erina said as Soma smiled to her.

"No problem, Nakiri. Just for the future though, if we ever go on a hike again, let's not try and sprain our ankle," Soma teased as Erina blushed.

"I'll try not to," she responded.

As they got the tent, Soma zipped open the entrance and bent down to help Erina fit through the hole. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the hardest part since each way they tried, Erina was uncomfortable because of her ankle. As they tried another attempt, Erina fell into the tent and accidentally dragged Soma with her to try and brace her fall. This ended up with Soma on top of Erina and the two were face to face with each other.

The two of them stared into each other's eyes as the situation got awkward for them. Soma expected for Erina to yell at him to get off of her, but this was not the case. She didn't even do anything. Both of them were stuck in time as they looked at each other.

What happened next was….unexpected to say the least.

Erina pulled Soma towards her as their lips met. It was an awkward kiss at first but after a couple of seconds, the two found their rhythm. They both enjoyed the flavor of the other's lips as they shared a gentle kiss. They finally came up for air and were panting a little. Soma's eyes were open wide with excitement and shock. Erina did the same, though it was more from the shock that she pulled Soma to her.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before someone spoke.

"Well….um, g-g-goodnight Nakiri," Soma said as he got up.

"G-goodnight, S-soma-kun," Erina responded, embarrassed and not able to look Soma in the eye. Soma got up and zipped Erina's tent close as he made his way to his own. He could not believe what had just happened. He had just gotten his first kiss and from Erina no less. As Soma laid down, his heart was still beating fast. The shock and excitement had not subsided and it would be impossible for him to go to sleep now. His eyes were wide open as he thought of Erina in the next tent over.

Meanwhile, Erina was feeling the same as Soma. She couldn't believe she had just had her first kiss and with Soma no less. Her feelings just overtook her and made her body move on its own. She was heating up as she tried to go over everything that had just happened today.

"What if he didn't like her like that? What if things between them would be awkward now? What if that kiss ruined everything?" she thought.

However, those feelings of doubt didn't last long. Instead, those feelings turned into happiness. She loved the way his lips tasted as they kissed. They were, would she dare say, delicious. His presence was intoxicating and she couldn't get enough of it. She just wondered how this would all play out when they returned to Totsuki.

Erina hoped that this was just the beginning of something special.

Something special that would last an eternity.


End file.
